


Lore of the World

by 9r7g5h



Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Clan Lore, F/F, F/M, Gen, Multiple Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 22:18:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 67
Words: 54,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11240409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9r7g5h/pseuds/9r7g5h
Summary: The lore of the clan.





	1. Tamora

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This is just all the lore I've written for my clan. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Flight Rising.

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=17127)  


Formed by the Arcanist himself, Tamora awoke fully grown, already knowledgeable of the world waiting for her. She already knew her destiny- she was to become Queen of the her clan, would lead them into prosperity, and one day rule over whatever she chose. Her name was to be loved and feared, known throughout as both a deadly warrior and a wise sage, the perfect, immortal Queen. 

She knew her destiny, but first had earn it. With just her companion, Brad, given to her by the Arcanist to keep her company while she forged her path, she set out into the world to find the first place she could call home. 

She didn't love Brad. Oh, she cared for him, and loved him in many different ways, enough ways to lay a few nests with him, but she wasn't in love. She couldn't allow herself to be. Love was a weakness, and when she had such a beautiful destiny waiting for her? She couldn't let herself be distracted. So she didn't. She kept Brad as her mate, her adviser, as their clan slowly grew. She bore him some children, none of whom stayed with the clan when they grew- partly because of their lust to see the world, and partly because she was so cold; she took responsibility and moved on. She loved her children, but they were also a distraction. 

She became a warrior first, the strongest a warrior could be, feared by any who came across her. She then became the Queen- she was already the leader of the small clan, the one who made the final decisions that were never questioned by her clan mates. But she set about making it more final, more permanent, and before even she knew it, she succeeded. 

She was the one who made the final decision about who stayed and who went, what fate they would hold, how they could best help the clan. She was never cruel- while all who stayed had to train, had to become strong, not everyone had to become a warrior. Many of her clan mates trained to be healers or shields, choosing peaceful or self sacrificing paths instead of her bloody one. And even then, once the newest members who were allowed to stay were trained, she didn't force them to fight. The training was a precaution, in case someone ever did try to force their way into the clan, tried to destroy them, everyone could protect themselves. 

She never forced them to fight unless she had to. And when she didn't? They were allowed to live as they wished. And her clan thrived. 

Musicians played late into the night, singing and playing beautiful harmonies that lulled her to sleep in her cave. Artists used the supplies brought home by the gatherers to create the most exquisite paintings, first on the walls of the caves they called home, then on canvases that were taken to market to be sold. Bards crafted stories to be told and written in all forms, plays and poems and novels, which were soon spread across the land and into the Arcanist's very own library. Craftdragons created bits and bobbles to both keep and sell, and farmers tended the lands outside of the main cave with care. Warriors came back with more food then they could ever dream of eating, and life was good. Her clan thrived. 

Tamora's clan thrived. Brad found a new mate, a little firece slip of a dragon by the name of Cybug, and Tamora was left alone to rule. 

She was happy, almost. She was fulfilling her destiny- her clan was strong, prosperous, slowly gathering even more wealth in rare items and even more members as her lands grew in size. It was everything she ever could have wanted. 

But she still wanted more. She was not uneducated- she knew Guardians, every Guardian out there, had a charge. That one thing that would complete the destiny she had been born for. Part of her longed for it, though the rest of her shrugged it off- how could she go out into the world and try to find her charge when she had a kingdom to run? 

Turns out she didn't have to choose, because one day, one glorious day, her gatherers came home with a dragon egg. 

It was ancient. Everyone was surprised it was still viable- it had been laid and forgotten in the times before, when the very first dragons walked the land, long before even the oldest amongst them was even a thought. Although the dragon residing within the egg would be a hatchling, innocent to the world, it would at the same time be ancient, pre-dating them all. 

The moment Tamora laid eyes on the egg, she knew. Without a second thought, without any thought at all, she cracked open the egg with her talon, watching as the newborn fae that had been waiting millennia to be born came tumbling into the world. 

Felix grew quickly under the clan's care, though Tamora was very careful not to become too close to him, despite the deep, overwhelming desire she had to be near him, to have him by her side at all times. She knew he was her charge, but she was also his Queen. She wanted him to grow up untainted by her longing for him, to choose her when the time was right. So, though it pained her, she kept her distance. 

And when he was fully grown and fully trained, a true adult in the eyes of the full clan, Tamora offered him a place as her Consort, a place by her side to rule the kingdom together. 

He accepted, and the clan's legacy continued to grow, continued to flourish, under a Queen in love. 

She doesn't leave the clan as much- when before she personally would travel the lands, talking to other dragons and making alliances, she now leaves that to Shelby, an Imperial she had taken under her wing and trained in the political arts (when he wasn't training or working on his writing). Instead, she stays home, caring for her clan in a claws on manner, working hard to make her little kingdom the best it can be. 

She has a destiny, after all, to become one of the greatest Queens in existence, and even with everything on track to do so, well, she still has a long way to go.

* * *

But even when the world seems perfect, there's always something waiting to strike. And for Tamora, it was the lines of rule. 

Who would take over, when she eventually left the clan? When she died, or when she rose to rest with the Arcanist? Who would take her place? 

If it was a mate, which would it be? Brad, who had been created to stand by her side, or Felix, who she had chosen on her own? Would it be a clan mate? If so, who- Shelby, who had served as the voice and face of the clan for years, or Arya, who had been raised in a far off kingdom and was wise in the ways of politics? Or Doctor, who could barely keep awake, or Yuko, who dabbled in the dark magics inspired by the Shade, or Rapunzel, the spawn of Yako and the demon Neuro, literal devil spawn even with her sweet disposition? Or one of her new guards, Eponin or Solari, or one of the supposed gods, Zeus or Poseidon or Hades, or the Shade cursed Carmilla, or which of the handful of permanent clan members would take over after she was gone? 

Or, if it was one of her children, which one? Her eldest, who had disappeared long ago? And which eldest, if so- Brad's, or Felix's? Or her new born, and if so, which one of the eggs from the nest she would lay? 

It was a confusing mess that had come to her attention during the Shade War, when she and her clan had fought off the demon Neuro, saving Yako and her daughter, Rapunzel. But then she had still been young, and while the loss of clan mates had hurt, she had been able to push it aside and continue. But it fully came to her attention after the plague, a plague that swept through the halls of the lair and culled so many before a cure could be found. Of the 140 members of the clan, not even thirty had survived. Their numbers only existed as so now because eggs had been found, brought in from the frigid night air by the hunters, those who had kept a small amount of strength after the illness had been driven from their veins. 

It did her heart good, listening to those hatchlings scurry throughout the lair, filling the now empty caverns with laughter and joy, unaware of the great losses the clan had experienced. But it brought with it a deep conundrum that she did not know how to solve. 

If she were to perish, who would take up after her? 

And, as the clan regained its strength, focusing on rebuilding what remained, Tamora found a solution. An unconventional solution, but a solution nonetheless. 

Hecuba and Herodotus were farmers- little people, in the small picture, just happy to whittle their days away growing the plants the clan needed to survive. Not much to do in winter, not much other then to curl up besides each other, glad that they both had survived. They had come into the clan towards the end of the plague, right before the cure had been found, allowing them to get away without much more then a cough or two. 

Tamora approached them in the middle of the night with her request, one that they couldn't rightly refuse- to give her a child, a daughter, that would not be her blood but the blood of the clan's. She would raise her, train her, love her, and when Tamora passed on, this daughter would take her place. 

The two agreed, and before long, the clan had its princess- Gabrielle.

Who wanted nothing to do with being princess, only wanted to write her stories and love her mate, Xena. But even so, the lineage of the clan was more then secure, and Tamora could rest easy- well, kind of, for she worried about her adopted daughter, the willful child that she was, full of dream and stories- knowing that her clan was secure. But even though she took off her armor, she kept it clean, kept her claws and teeth sharp, and still wore her sword at her hip.

For while the lineage was secure, she was sure hard times were to come.

(Original Pre-War, Pre-Plague Dragon)


	2. Felix

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=41056)   


_Darkness_. 

It hadn’t always been darkness- even within his shell, there had been light. Light that had filtered its way down through the leaves of the great tree to fall onto the nest, warming him and his siblings when their mother was gone. An occurrence that wasn’t often; somehow he knew that they were her first, the first eggs she had ever born and laid, even though their father had sired many. She had spent long hours fretting over them, rearranging the leaves so they were better protected, organizing the lair so they would hatch into a better home. 

Even within the egg, he had known he would be loved. 

_Screeching, cries of anger mixed with cried of pain. A pervading sense of fear that sunk through the shell, terrorizing him even as he didn’t understand what was going on, what was happening, how the world had so drastically changed._

Something had kicked him from the nest, sending him spiraling into the darkness- a fate better than his siblings, for he felt the magical ties that had connected them severe. Felt their pain as something feathered and clawed broke through their shells before it was their time, ending them before they even began. But he was spared, secreted away by some twist of fate into the darkness, the freezing chill of earth to deep for the sun to warm, a chill that threatened to sap him of his strength. 

But he was strong, and instead of succumbing, his magic lulled him to sleep. 

A sleep that lasted, as he later found out, for thousands of years. Thousands of years that were lost as the world around him changed, thousands of years as civilizations rose and fell and rose again, thousands of years that he spent dreaming. Dreaming of the sun and the warmth and the light, of the great tree he felt pulling towards him, even if the connection was only faint. Dreaming of the world outside of the egg that he could just barely sense, even if he couldn’t have. 

_Warmth. Warmth again that awoke him as the soil was shifted to the side, as gentle claws raised him into the air for the first time in how long he did not know. Voices that growled and rumbled and almost sang, before movement. Taking him away. Taking him home._

It was the gentlest tap that awoke him, the lightest caress that brought him back to the world he had spent so long dreaming over. That told him the time for sleeping was over, and it was time for him to live. 

Live and find love, for the moment his eyes opened to the world, he saw her. 

Tamora, she had been named, Queen Tamora of the clan. The most beautiful creature he had ever seen or could ever hope to see, he had fallen in love. 

But she sent him away. Sent him away to the trainers, where his strength for healing and magic was discovered and shaped, focused until it was strong enough to close any wound that dared to appear on one of his companion’s skins. Everyone was expected to train, to become strong enough to protect the clan and contribute in whatever way possible, and it was his job to fix them. Fix them so they could keep on fighting that much longer, until his own strength gave way before the battle was done. 

He trained the entire time with her on his mind, always working to become stronger, faster, a better healer, all with the hope of one day catching her eye. Catching her eye and maybe her heart as well, for to earn a place at her side was all he could desire. 

And earn it he did, when he left the side of his trainer, fully grown and fully seen as an adult within the clan, given the right to follow his own path in life now that he was strong enough to protect it. He continued on as the healer, taking care of wounds not gained in battle but through carelessness during chores instead. And free to finally take a mate, following the clan’s laws, now that he was strong enough to protect what was his, he soon found himself before the Queen, listening to her offer. 

An offer to be her Consort, to be her mate, an offer he accepted without hesitation. 

Although he still wondered, from time to time, what his life might have been like had the attack never happened, had he never been pushed from his nest, had he never slept for all those ages, Felix couldn’t find himself regretting the course his life had took. When he curled into Tamora’s side as night, when he helped their newest offspring crawl from the nest, as he watched the clan flourish under a Queen in love, in love with him, he couldn’t regret it, not one single bit.


	3. Gabrielle

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33450600)   


Born to rule, to one day fall into the footsteps of her mother and lead the clan into a new era, Princess Gabrielle had always known her place. Had know that one day she would take a consort and rise up as Queen, to rule when Queen Tamora and her Consort Felix decided that their time was at an end. She had been told this from the first day she had hatched, when Tamora and Felix had brought her home from that far off Nature nest, proclaiming her as their heir the moment they reached the lair. 

Gabrielle had always known this. She had been told a thousand times over by her mother, her father, by the Amazon guards who kept her safe and the counsel that ruled at her mother's side. She had been told by the doctors who took care of her wounds when her unsteady hatchling limbs and awkward attempts at flight had taken a turn for the worst, and she had been told by her teachers between lessons in math and history and draconic. She had been told by the guards that patrolled their lands to keep them safe, had been told by the silly bunch of bogsneaks who thought themselves gods, had been told by the owners of the ludus and the warriors that trained there, had been told by the keepers of their dead and the keepers of their familiars and every single other dragon in the lair. She had been told day in and day out what her duty, her future, was to be. 

Gabrielle had always know she would be Queen. But she didn't want to be. 

She wanted to write. Oh, the stories she had swirling about in her mind- stories of far off places, daring rescues, heroes that kept the world safe. Great tales that kept her mind busy when she was supposed to be studying politics so she could keep their alliances with other clans strong, when she was supposed to be studying economic theory so she could keep their lair rich, when she was supposed to be studying everything she would need in order to rule. She dreamed instead, and longed for her life to match the stories she wrote whenever she had a free moment and some ink. 

Not that she had those often. While her mother supported her writing- Tamora herself took to fighting in the wilds to blow off some steam, but to each their own- Gabrielle barely had a moment alone. When she wasn't in one of her classes, she was always escorted by one of her guards, the Amazons always weary of others. And if she wasn't with one of her guards, then she was with her parents, Tamora and Felix fretting over her the moment she returned to the nest. Even though she was almost fully grown, almost an adult in her own right, they had insisted she stay with them, living in their portion of the lair until she was ready to rule. 

Meaning until she had a mate and was willing to spend her entire life sitting before the council, listening to the important but boring problems brought before her. 

She didn't want that. Maybe some day she'd be willing to make that her life, would be willing to dedicate her future to the good of the clan, but right now? Gabrielle didn't want that. She wanted adventure, romance, to see the world that existed outside the borders of her clan. 

So she ran away. Not permanently no, and not even very far- she wasn't stupid, and knew of the dangers that waited for her outside of the clan. She knew about the Shade touched creatures that would attack a dragon the moment it saw it. She knew about the Beastclans, waiting to take their revenge on dragons for not being the favorites of the gods. She knew about warlords and feral dragons that would hunt down any they saw and either kill them or sell them to other clans. Gabrielle was well aware of all of this, and so she didn't go far. 

But she wanted a single afternoon to herself, just a couple of hours where she could sit and think and perhaps write without someone staring over her shoulder, and so she ran. Ran into the forest, found a clearing with a rock large enough to curl up on, and dozed off in the sun, her mind calmed by the warmth as she thought. 

And woke to three smiling wildclaws standing over her, their claws and mouths tinged with red as they waited for her to awake. 

They didn't say much- just made comments about how pretty she was, how it was such a shame that she was alone, and how it would be best for her not to fight as they 'escorted' her to the auction house. They were sure she would fetch a pretty piece of treasure to some random dragon who saw her a good breeding stock, and she would be worth even more if they made it there without having to hurt her. 

She tried to fight- tried to gather up the magic that surrounded her, that she could just barely feel flowing through the world around her. She tried. And she failed, because fighting had never been one of her classes. Tamora had never expected her to lead an army, had never expected her to have to know how to fight in a war, and so had never allowed her to train. Had kept her safe within the clan, full of fully trained warriors who would die to protect her- why risk her when there were so many others to do so? 

So Gabrielle tried, and when her 'attack' failed, when the wildclaws just shrugged it off and laughed, she screamed. 

And screamed as teeth closed around the head of one and _crunched_ , dropping one before moving onto the others, claws slashing and a whip-like tail destroying the other two before they could flee. 

She cowered in fear from the other dragon- a Guardian like her mother, but this one struck a cord of fear Gabrielle had never know before. She knew what her mother could do, had greeted her home from her travels out into the wilds, when she came home covered in blood and carrying a pack full of food and random trinkets she had found out there, but had never seen such devastation, such destruction, in her life. 

But, when the other dragon make no attempt towards her, just stood there, panting, over the remains of the wildclaws that had tried to take her, Gabrielle's fear began to drain. Drain and be replaced by curiosity, by wonder, by some grateful sense, because this dragon clearly meant her no hard. If she did, she would have already struck, right? 

So Gabrielle gathered herself together and stepped forward to thank the Guardian. Only for the Guardian, the moment their eyes met, to fall to her knees, their gazed locked as she stared. 

It didn't take long for Gabrielle to explain who she was, and ask for help getting home- even though her fear of the Guardian had fled, she could still feel herself trembling, terror from her close encounter with death having shaken her. And she had never been that good at flying, not yet anyway, so she couldn't believe her wings would hold her the entire way home. If the Guardian would be so kind as to walk her home, get her there safely...

The Guardian, who introduced herself as Xena, gently lifted her onto her back without a second thought and flew them home. Because apparently it was Xena's home too- she had left long ago, left from grief and pain too strong to overcome while staying here, and was only just coming home. 

Her father, Felix, told her the story that night- about Xena's brother, about the stories the clan had heard over the last decade, about the horrible things Xena had spent her life doing in pursuit of revenge. As was his way, because Felix didn't believe in lying, not when there was no point in doing so, he told her everything she needed to know about the Guardian who had saved her and brought her back to them. 

Gabrielle, the moment Tamora- tired from her conversation with Xena and fretful from a day of worrying about her wayward daughter- walked into the lair, asked her to make Xena her guard and let them go explore the world. 

It dissolved into a fight- Xena was a murderer, a dragon many would consider a monster akin to the Shade. She had killed so many, had destroyed so many lives; what made her trustworthy enough to be Gabrielle's champion? 

Gabrielle's only comeback was a question- "I'm her charge, aren't I?" 

Because she had seen the way Xena had looked at her, had noticed the way Xena stood protectively by her side, had taken note of the way Xena had watched her be led away by her father and her Amazon guards. It was the exact same way Tamora looked at Felix, the exact same way she treated him, the same movements and looks and subtle check ins to make sure he was alright. 

If Tamora acted that way around her charge, around the dragon she loved more than life itself, and Xena, after only just meeting her, acted the same way? Gabrielle hadn't spent her entire life studying to be ignorant of the nature of dragons, and so it was clear. 

Who better to protect her than the Guardian who felt called, with every fiber of its being, to do just that? 

They left a few days later, she and Xena, to the goodbyes of the clan and with two goals in mind. The first, and simpler one, was to just see the world. Gabrielle had read so much in books, had spent her entire life studying maps and listening to the stories of the dragons in the clan that traveled, but she had never traveled herself. She had never seen the world outside of her clan walls, and so she didn't understand. She didn't know how the world worked, and wanted nothing more that to do so. So that was their goal- to travel and learn, so Gabrielle could see and understand it all. 

The other, much more complex goal, was to allowed Xena the chance to make right what she had done wrong. There were so many dragons out there that she had hurt, so many lives she had destroyed- it would take years to fix them all, to do enough good deeds to outweigh the sins weighing on her soul. Years Xena was going to dedicate to her cause, years Gabrielle intended to spend by her side. 

And they did just that. Traveling, helping others, they spent their time doing good, growing closer all the while. From just strangers, one feeling compelled to protect the other to friends. From friends to this strange between place that Gabrielle couldn't place her claw on, couldn't seem to understand how to navigate. 

From that strange place to lovers as Gabrielle, after almost losing Xena in a fight, realized just how blind she had been. Realized and confessed, because the thought of another moment with Xena not knowing _hurt_ , physically _hurt_ , and so Gabrielle took that leap and hoped that her wings wouldn't fail. 

They didn't. Xena loved her back, just as much as she loved her. Had apparently loved her from the first moment their eyes had met, had loved her from the second she had realized she was her charge, and had only continued to love her from that second forward. 

They continued their travels, but this time as more. More than just friends, as lovers and everything else with meaning in the world. They traveled the world, righting the wrongs that existed within it so Xena's soul could be light once again, and it was perfect. They lived stories that Gabrielle, stories that Gabrielle left with her parents each time they ended up back at the clan for a few days to rest, stories that told all. 

It was a hard life, but it was theirs, and Gabrielle loved it more than she could ever find the words to say. Even when she herself began to turn hard, forced to fight by the dangers they encountered so she could protect her mate- even when she herself took a life, the result of a battle that had almost ended her- she still wanted nothing more. This was the life she had chosen with Xena, and it was the life she intended to live. 

Until Xena died. 

They were on one of the islands in the Sea of a Thousand Currents, one of the places Xena had visited all those years ago. There, she had wrecked unchecked havoc, killing thousands- by accident, that time, lashing out at those who had attacked her when she was grieving for a friend, but still an act that had killed so many. So many who had been unable to move on, kept and tormented by a Shade-touched soul that had turned. An Imperial that had turned into an Emperor, fed by the souls of those who wondered trapped between the worlds, growing ever stronger by the day. Contained only by the vast waters around it, soon even those would be no pause before it. It would one day break free and destroy the world, all because of an accident Xena had caused.  

Xena fought. Even though she _knew_  the monsters that Emperors were, even though she knew the gods themselves struggled with defeating such a creature, she fought. Fought with ever fiber of her being, fought with every ounce of strength she had within her...and lost. Lost and died before that Emperor's blow, only to rise again as a spirit. A spirit that kept on fighting, destroying it from the other side, until all that remained was ash. 

A spirit that, with one final goodbye, one final "I love you," one final kiss that Gabrielle could barely feel, disappeared with the rising sun. 

Gabrielle wandered for a while, lost and alone. Part of her wanted to go home- go back to her family, where safety and welcoming arms and others who had lost their mates waited and would understand. Part of her wanted to curl up between her parents once again, to pretend she was a child and the world was fair and just and lovely. Wanted to pretend that things worked the way they did in the stories she had thought of as a child, where the good dragons won and everything ended with a happily ever after. 

Where all stories had an end, but never ended with a goodbye. 

The rest of her raged. Raged against the dying of her mate, raged against everything within demanding that she give up, that she just accept that her mate was dead, raged against the world that had left her alone. Gabrielle raged against it all, and went to see the gods. 

It was easier than she expected, getting an audience with the gods. Few actually hard guards, and those who did were easy to avoid. She easily found herself standing before them, her head held high as she demanded their powers to bring Xena back. 

It was harder to convince them. Because the dead were dead, gone and should be forgotten, because if they died then they didn't deserve to live. That was the response so many gave her- dragons had been granted immortality for a reason, and if they lost it that was their own fault. They weren't strong enough, weren't quick enough, weren't fast enough. 

This was the drivel so many gave her. At least until she said the name of what Xena had been fighting, the name that froze them all in their tracks. Because all of the gods feared an Emperor. 

It was the Earthshaker who first gave her the power she needed. The Earthshaker who gave her a small stone, imbued with his power, that would bring Xena back if all the other gods agreed to give her some of their own. So from god to god Gabrielle traveled, alone and half the time lost, driven only by her single goal of getting Xena back. When the gods refused she fought, and when they continued to try and deny her she pressed, harder and harder, until half agreed just to be rid of her annoyance. Others demanded her servitude, demanded she complete tasks for them before they gave her their power. 

And a few gave it freely, willingly, seeing the love in her eyes and the pain in her soul, pain they could stop by being free with their gifts. 

The stone almost burning hot in her hands as the Arcanist, the last of the gods Gabrielle had visited, gave her his power and his blessing, Gabrielle returned to where Xena had fallen, the island where Gabrielle had last seen her love. Returning to where Xena had said her final goodbye, Gabrielle placed the stone on the ground and waited. 

And waited, and waited, and eventually fell asleep. Because so long had passed by this time, so long with barely any sleep, the minimum of food that would keep her alive and going, driven only by her desire to bring Xena back- it had exhausted her, and with her goal almost done, Gabrielle was _tired_. She was tired, and so she fell asleep. 

And awoke to a gentle voice singing, careful claws caressing her fins, and teeth bared in a smile that had Gabrielle in tears as, for the first time in years, she awoke to Xena next to her. 

They went home after that. The world wasn't safe, and while there was still so much to be made up for, things that would be made up for sometime in the future, they had to. Gabrielle, even curled into Xena's side, still awoke covered in sweat, terrified she would awaken and find her mate gone once more. She was terrified, and it was clear the death Xena could barely remember had affected her as well. 

So they went home and were married. Married before the eyes of the clan, Tamora proclaiming Xena her Consort. They went home and dug out their own lair, clawing through the dark purple dirt until a room more than large enough for them to live in had been added to the lair. Went home and, for the first time in years, felt safe. Safe surrounded by their friends, their loved ones, by a clan that they would do everything in their power to protect and that would do everything in its power to protect them. 

They went home and focused on being in love. 

They talked- about the future, about their plans, about what their lives would hold. About possibly adopting some children, about when they would eventually go back out into the world to keep doing good, about everything they needed to talk about.

But for now, they rested. And safe within the lair, curled into Xena's side, listening to the heartbeat she had missed for so long, Gabrielle finally slept. Safe and warm and in love, she slept.


	4. Xena

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=33350841)   


She'd been such a happy child. Surrounded by her siblings and her clan mates, Xena had grown up believing she was blessed- blessed with beauty, with strength, with intelligence. She often heard people tell her mother that she was a beloved of the gods, a gift from the Arcanist himself. Even if she was born in a water nest, the result of an accident between her parents while they had been traveling on a mission for the Queen, everyone was sure of it. They were sure that she would be their princess, the heir Queen Tamora needed finally found, and the future of their clan would be set. 

Xena believed it all throughout her childhood, as she grew from adorable hatchling into a stunning adult. As she grew in strength, became skilled in the art of war, threw herself into studies about the world of Sorienth. As she learned the strengths and weaknesses of others, so she could one day help them all. When she became queen. 

She honestly believed she was a beloved of the gods. 

Until they took away Lyceus. 

They- herself and her two brothers, Toris and Lyceus, their little sister having stayed home- had gone out to train. Toris was convinced he would be allowed to stay in the clan if he became a healer, and needed to learn as much as he could about herbs and flowers and everything medicinal. Lyceus just wanted to fight. He wanted to take over the ludus one day, when Batiatus, without an heir of his own to continue the business, found someone else to do so. To do that, to be a great trainer of warriors, he needed to be strong himself. And Xena refused to be left behind, especially since she knew more and could beat either of them in a battle easily. So, they had gone out to train. 

The training itself had gone well; they had gathered almost more food and materials than they could carry, something to please the Queen. She was always adding things to their hoard, and what they didn't need they easily sold. Perhaps, if they could please her enough, she would allow them all to stay together, as a family. 

It had been that mindset that had led to Xena standing up before the three wildclaws when they had stepped from the forest surrounding them, their mouths widened in wicked grins. That thought that had had her challenging them when they demanded that they turn over everything they had gathered. That action that had led to the fight. 

The fight they lost. Lost horribly, because they were barely adults, still children in larger bodies, only just getting used to their gangly legs and oversized wings finally fitting. They were nothing like Shelby, or Angie, or any of the other dragons that ventured out of the clan to fight the monsters that kept their family alive. They were trained, yes, in how to take down bumblebees and sparrows, not other dragons that slashed and bit and seemed to know all of the tricks in the book. 

Tricks they used to take out Toris, knocking him unconscious before he could even think of the spell he had just learned that would allow him to heal his siblings, prolonging the battle just a little bit more. Took out Lyceus, the three of the tag teaming him while Xena raged against them, their sharp teeth and hooked claws doing more damage than Lyceus could handle. Tricks they used to take out her, overwhelming her despite her greater size. They were stronger, faster, better trained- and they left her just barely conscious. Just barely conscious, unable to do anything to stop them as two held her down and one went back to Lyceus. 

The leader, Caesar, smiled as he met her gaze, tilted Lyceus' head to expose his throat, and opened his forever smiling mouth that much wider. 

A single bite was all it took to have him bleeding, and bleeding heavily. They held her down, forced her still for long minutes as they watched, and then they left. But not before breaking her legs.

They left the supplies they had gathered, because they had gotten their fun other ways. 

Xena had tried. She had tried to save him, tried to bring him back, tried to wake up Toris and get him to heal, but it didn't work. Nothing worked, and all Xena could do was drape her brothers over her back, her legs buckling under their weight, every step painful enough to leave her in tears, and drag them home. 

They saved Toris. A concussion, some bad cuts, but overall he would live. They saved her; broken bones, deep wounds that would scar, a close to death scare, but she would live. But Lyceus? 

She could barely watch as Yuna danced around the pyre, the bone chilling song her spirit companion sang almost enough to drive her away. But she stayed; she had to. It was her fault the entire clan was standing there, watching the flesh and bone turn to ash. She stood there as Odele herself sang once the ceremony was complete, her words wobbling as barely understood as the flames began, one by on, to flicker out. She stood there as the clan she knew as her family offered their condolences, and stood there as her actual family split. 

Toris to the Arcanist. Odele to wherever the world would have her. Cyrene home. Atrius to the road as well, never to be seen again. Lyceus to the grave. 

For a long time, Xena just stood there. She was the last to leave, refusing to go until the ashes had long since turned cold, watched as Tidus swept them into the urn that match Lyceus' colors- her colors, for they had been twins in all but gender-, watched as Yuna performed the last of the rites that would allow Lyceus to sleep. 

When she went home, she found herself at the end of a sword. A sword held by Cyrene, making it clear that Xena wasn't welcome there. Making it obvious that another step would end her life as well, if Xena dared to try and push it. Made it clear that she had to leave. 

The Queen tried to protest- she could have another spot in the lair. She was old enough to live on her own now anyway, so why leave her home? Tamora pointed out that Cyrene was mourning, and that, once she mourned, she would be glad to have at least one of her children left to her. Pointed out that it wasn't her fault. 

Xena left that same night. Left behind the bright, brilliant gowns and dresses she had worn; left behind the pet the kind familiar keepers, Hecuba and Heradotus, let her have; left everything behind. 

Left to go get vengeance.

She had no idea if the dragons that had attacked her and her brothers were clanned or clanless, but it didn't matter. She had a gifted tongue and a strong drive and soon enough she found herself at the head of her own clan. Not a clan that settled down and cared for each other, no; it was a clan of warriors, of dragons that had been driven from their home for unspeakable deeds. A clan that looked at her and saw something worth following. Because even if she was young, even if she was inexperienced, even if she had nothing to her name but her teeth and her claws, they saw something worth following. 

She grew strong quickly, training against and with some of her stronger, older followers, until she could easily defeat them. Her clan grew as well. What started as a few swiftly grew into many, until, by her count, thousands of dragons followed her, all trained and willing to fight until the end if she gave the command. 

While she grew, she kept quiet. Those first few years passed slowly, with her clan more focused on finding food to keep themselves fed than the riches she had in store. It was necessary- if the neighboring clans heard about her intentions before she was strong enough to carry them out, then she would surely lose. So Xena kept her head down, strengthened her clan, and waited. 

The moment the last of them were fully trained, she attacked. 

She started with the clans closest to her home- even if her mother had driven her out, she had others she loved there, and their protection was her priority. Any dragon that lived her attack either joined her or were sold on the market, the treasure they brought in supporting her clan. From there she continued to move outwards, circling in an ever widening band around her home, taking clan after clan, laying claim to plot of land after plot of land, taming all that lay before her. 

She was set to take over the world. From the Southern Icefield to the Viridian Labyrinth, she owned it all. Dragons cowered before her, clans gave up before she even got near- all knew her name. Only the furthest reaches of each continent lay beyond her reach, but soon it would all fall. 

She would rule all.

Except she was tired. For the better part of a decade, she had fought. Fought and killed and destroyed, ending her campaign with more dragon blood under her talons then she knew what to do with. And she still hadn't found Caesar yet, still hadn't gotten her revenge, despite spending every second searching. Her conquest had brought her riches but no joy, and all Xena wanted was to go home. 

The decision was made, one day, when three dragons stumbled into her path. Instead of cowering in fear, or running like she had expected, one- a young female- stepped before the other two and challenged her to a fight. Her voice was light, that of a child's, and the challenge was clearly made in play. 

Xena took it as real, her claws flashing, her teeth snapping, knocking out two before the third could even blink. She saved the female for last, and whispered her name into the child's ear before she could react. And she walked away as the child stared on in fear, cowering next to the bodies of her companions. 

And found herself throwing up into the bushes a few minutes later, the remains of her last meal coloring the grass below her. She had become what she hated the most, and it needed to end. 

She disbanded her clan- no, her army, for this wasn't a clan. It wasn't a home, a family; it was a force of destruction. So she ended it, driving off any dragon that tried to stay, to take over, making it clear that, if they tried to deny her, she would force them. None could stand against her, and so all fled. 

She fled as well, back to the last place she had ever felt safe, welcomed: home. 

She went home, and there Xena found her charge. Not just her charge, but her everything. 

She heard the fight as she slowly walked home, head down, deep in thought. She had a plan, as simple as it as- go see her mother, apologize one more time, and then find a way to join Lyceus. There was nothing left for her in this world, but there might be something in the next. And even if there wasn't, there might be some punishment for the evils she had wrought upon this world. Either she would accept. But hearing the fight, hearing the screaming and the laughter, she had to check it out. 

She was thankful to all the gods that she had. Because standing there, surrounding a little fae female, was Caesar and his companions. 

She attacked without thinking, mind gone blank from her sudden rage- here was the dragon that had started all of this, here was the dragon that had destroyed everything, that had driven her from her home, almost driven her insane from grief and fury. Here was the source of her pain. 

His head was in her mouth before he could react, and a single bite was all it took to end it. His companions fell quickly too, all of them so weak against her fury, leaving nothing but blood and bodies as realized it was finally over. 

Except it wasn't. Because turning to look at the little fae female, Xena felt her heart lurch, and she knew. Standing before her, quivering, trembling, terrified beyond all else, was her soulmate. 

She had heard of the Guardian's Charge, of course. Her mother, though being a nocturne, had told the legends to them all, since their father wasn't there to do so. Told them that, somewhere, out there, every guardian had a charge- something that was the center of their entire world, the source of their strength, the dragon or thing they would love the most. It might take them a long time to find it, but when they did, they would know. They would know their charge on sight, know how they were to be connected, and from that moment on, their charge would be their all. 

Xena had scoffed as a child, and had done so even more as an adult. Sure, she had met guardians who were overly fond of their mates, who had a strange obsession with particular rocks or trees or whatever, but the idea that something could consume her so much and that easily? It hadn't seemed possible, and so she had written it off. 

Xena found herself on her knees before that fae female, unable to break her gaze, tears welling in her eyes because she had found her. Without even realizing that something had been missing, the hole had been filled, and Xena felt complete. 

The fae was Gabrielle. Princess Gabrielle, daughter of Queen Tamora and her consort, Felix. The princess of Xena's home clan, who Xena escorted as quickly back as she could, giving the little fae a ride on her back as she soared over the forest of the Starfall Isles back to home. 

Where she was greeted as a hero by the Queen (though a whispered promise of a long, hard conversation about whether or not she was really going to be allowed back into the clan after all the Queen had heard was given). Gabrielle was quickly surrounded by her Guard, a group of females all dressed alike that scolded her for leaving without an Amazon Guard present. The rest of the clan, hearing the drama, came forward as well; some welcomed her without a thought, while others stared with a deep seated hatred for what she had done since she had left.

And there was her mother. There was Cyrene- older, over a decade older, looking tired and worn. But still she smiled when Xena met her gaze, and the two of them greeted each other, if not warmly, at least with a degree of politeness that had room to heat. 

It was more than she expected, honestly, but Xena took it.

She didn't stay home long. Gabrielle, after she had shaken off her overly protective guards, had declared that she wanted to travel the world. She wanted to travel the world, see everything the world had to offer, and Xena should be the one to take her.

Some members of the clan had protested- Xena was a murderer, a warlord, and Gabrielle was their princess. To allow someone like Xena to take her away from where she was safe, where the entire clan could protect her? How could they allow it? 

But Tamora, looking deep into Xena's eyes, had just smiled and asked two questions. 

"She's your charge, isn't she?" A widening of her smile when Xena nodded, unashamed of admitting that to her Queen. "And your relationship?" 

"Soulmates." 

The Queen hadn't needed to hear any more after that- her own gaze had flickered to her own mate, her Consort, who had also been her charge, her soulmate delivered to her by the gods. Tamora had just nodded, and announced the very next day that the Princess, escorted by Xena, would be leaving. 

Not just to show her the world, though. No, Xena had spent most of the night talking with her Queen and her mother, and all had agreed that Xena had much she needed to make up for, something Xena was well aware of. While the other life might have a punishment in store to redeem her, this wasn't something Xena could expect the gods to take care of for her. She had to make amends, and what better way than to do it while protecting her Princess? 

They left the next day, Gabrielle, unused to waking so early in the mornings, curled up in the hollow between Xena's wings, only just barely awake. They left the safety of the home Xena had only just refound, though the promise of being allowed back was clear as they left- especially by Cyrene, who had placed a kiss upon her forehead and stated how proud she was that she was going to make things right. 

They left to see the world and do as much good as they could. 

For years they traveled, reveling in their friendship, a friendship that quickly deepened into more. For Xena it had always been more- from the moment she had laid eyes upon Gabrielle, she had known. Had known that this little fae was it for her. She was her greatest and truest love, her soulmate, and Xena was willing to do whatever she had to for Gabrielle. But Gabrielle was slower- barely more than just a child herself, unaware of the ways of the world, she didn't realize who was besides her, not at first. But eventually she did. 

She woke up one morning and realized she was in love with Xena, and, in her own fashion, told her right then and there. 

Xena had just kissed her, unwilling to trust her own tongue with her confession, and it was that simple. They were in love. More- they were soulmates. Destined by the Fates to be together, no matter what may come. 

They traveled for years, doing good wherever they could, routing out evil, trying to fix the mistakes Xena had made all those years ago. They occasionally went home, when the clan needed Gabrielle or the two of them were weary, but for the most part they just kept going. Going and traveling and training, Gabrielle growing experienced and hard and Xena growing harder as they continued their work. 

Until Xena died. 

She wasn't sure how she was brought back- her memories were fuzzy, though she knew enough. She had died protecting Gabrielle, died in the middle of a war she had started decades ago, died to free a group of souls that had been lost because of her. She had died and returned, brought back by something Gabrielle did and the grace of the gods. 

Gabrielle spent months after barely asleep, constantly awake and watching Xena, and so they decided to go home. There was still much to be made up for, but they had to. They had to go home, settle down, feel some form of safety the world couldn't provide them. 

So they went home. Went home and were officially joined, making her the Princess' Consort. Went home and settled down within the clan, Tamora finally glad to have her heir back. Went home and discussed a family- there were some children there, orphans, with no families of their own that could use a mother or two, if they so desired. 

They went home and began to build a life. There was still much for Xena to repent for, and one day she would, but to live her life suffering for her past mistakes, when so much more good and happiness lay before her? 

Settled into their lair, Gabrielle curled up into her side, Xena, though she would never forgive herself, nor would she ever forget, silently gave herself the permission she needed to move on, and fell asleep actually excited to see what the next day would bring.


	5. Terreis

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29631597)  


_Murderer. Savage. Disease upon this land._

As Terreis saw it, everyone else was jealous. Jealous that she could travel, surrounded by her friends. That she could see the world, jump from place to place without any desire to stop and stay, no matter how people begged. That she was free from the burdens of children or duty, her only worry her own stomach and that of her girl’s. She was her own master, her own leader, and ever since she fought her mate Cyan for control of the Amazons and won, she was her own Queen. 

A Queen with no land, a Queen that led her hoard through the lands of other clans, stealing whatever they could gather, fighting off those who even dared to stand up to them, a Queen that in all ways stood above the rest. 

A warrior Queen that cast aside males, that trained her girls to fight just as well as she did, that became everything the world said she should never be. 

It was a life she loved. She loved never knowing where her next meal would come from, where they would spend the nights, taking no orders but her own. She loved the trill of the fight that came from a raid, whether it be against dragons or the Beastclans, she didn’t care. A fight was a fight, blood was blood, and the only thing that made it better was when it came from a filthy centaur. 

The only thing wrong with it was that it offered no security, no place to allow those who were injured a place to rest. Like the place Amarice needed when, after a fight, she almost lost her life. 

It was a bad wound, one right to the neck from a toridae, that left her barely able to breathe, much less move. They had bunkered down in the middle of the swamp that right, taking turns looking over her, trying to keep the wound clean, trying to help her heal as best they could without any of them being a healer. An almost worthless venture, because how could they help, how could they do anything to heal their sister, when all they knew was how to kill? Kill and fight and destroy? 

She lived because of luck. Because Yuko and Howl, escorted by young Rapunzel, stumbled upon them on an herb gathering mission. Because the three of them, three of the healers for the clan, found them on a random whim of fate, and were able to help. Able to pack the wound with herbs to drive away the rot that had begun. Able to improvise some thread to sew the wound closed, at least temporarily. Able to create a liter for them to load her onto, to carry her back to the clan. 

They were greeted at the gates, ushered in without a second thought, and given rooms to stay in for as long as they wished, for as long as it took Amarice to heal. 

It was a kindness Terreis hadn’t been expecting, a gentleness to the clan she knew she could take advantage of if she so desired, but there was none. She wanted only for her friend to be ok, then for her to live, and she was willing to do whatever she needed to make sure that was done. 

And it was a good thing too, because a few days later, when a group of Beastclans warriors tried to attack, she found that the clan was strong, almost the entire clan trained in the art of war, more than enough to destroy her and her friends if they had tried to attack themselves. And instead they were being helped, being healed and fed and houses without anything in return, all because they were kind. 

She went before the Queen, after a few weeks had passed, and asked if they could stay. 

Because a strong home, even if they had to suffer the presence of males, a steady place they could call their own, where they didn’t have to worry about injury and death and hunger, that was worth more than they could offer. 

And Queen Tamora, as if she knew they would come ask, introduced her to her daughter- Gabrielle. 

Just a small little child, she was precious- a storyteller more than a leader, she still had the makings of a great Queen, of one who would do even better than her mother. And even though her chosen future mate, Xena- a name well known to Terreis when Tamora said it, one that sent a shiver of fear through her even as her respect for young Gabrielle grew a thousand fold, because to earn the heart and loyalty of that monster was to be something beyond great even with her young years- was already as strong, worthy protector and Consort, she would need more. Tamora knew, just somehow knew, that her daughter would have many enemies, would make a great number of foes in her future; some from her Consort’s past, others from her own choices, but all a danger nonetheless.

Even with Xena and the clan’s protection, she would need a guard. A Queen’s Guard. 

She talked it over with her girls, but the decision was quick- they all wanted to stay, wanted to live and serve and be a great part of this clan, and so just a few days later, when Amarice could stand by their side and be promoted with them, the wandering Amazon clan took on the name of guardians, and settled into their new roles, with Terreis as the leader of them all. 

While their main concern was Gabrielle, they would serve the entire royal family with their last breaths, protecting all four of them until the ends of their days. 

They might still be Amazons, might still shun the company of men, but they were the Queen’s Guard first, and they were finally home.


	6. Cyan

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29685584)   


Cyan had created the Amazons for a single reason- she didn’t want to get married. 

In her own clan, there had been one job for females like her: get married to the first male who showed interest to her, pop out a bunch of eggs to be sold at on the auction house when they were adults, and then serve her husband until she could pop out some more. It was a cycle she had seen countless females in her old clan go through, and she had refused to let it happen to her. 

So the first moment she could, she gathered up her younger sister Rhea and the two of them left. Left to go find somewhere where they didn’t have to marry anyone they didn’t want to, where they could be free to be themselves, where they would be happy. 

She started picking up like-minded girls along the way- girls who didn’t want to get married, girls who wanted nothing to do with males, girls who wanted a family and a home but with another female instead. Girls who cast aside males, who refused to suffer their presence any longer, who decided to join her and her sister and be free. 

It was Terreis who came up with the name Amazon, after she had joined the group, after Cyan had looked at her and realized she held her heart within her claws, and asked her to be her mate. 

It was Ephiny, who had become Cyan’s second in command after joining the Amazons, who performed the ceremony, joining her and Terreis together in a bond none other could break. They were mates, lovers, and together they would lead. 

Only Terreis wanted to lead by herself, and so challenged her to a dual- winner took over the Amazon tribe, and the loser could do as they desired except rule. 

And despite her anger, despite the extra strength given to her by rage, she lost. Cyan found herself pinned, found herself forced to admit defeat lest her wife sink her teeth into her neck and end her, lest she leave her little sister alone. She lost, and so was forced to step down as leader of the Amazons. 

She stayed, though, as one of them- where else was she supposed to go? Even with Terreis’ betrayal, she still loved her. And Rhea refused to leave, after Zana joined and she found her own heart beating within the purple dragons’ chest. And while she hated what Terreis was doing to the tribe (before they had been wanderers, nomads, friendly with the clans they came upon even if they were cool to the males who lived there), how could she leave the first group she had ever known as family, and first tribe she had ever known as home? 

She couldn’t, and so she stayed, stayed and tried to negate the damage Terreis was doing, tried to curb her temper, her destruction, her hatred for the world that didn’t want them. 

For all her efforts, Amarice still ended up with a hole in her neck, and no matter what they did, there was nothing they could do to stop her. 

She was the one who heard the three- Howl, Yuko, and their apprentice, Rapunzel- trekking through the swamps, searching for rare herbs to take home to the clan. She was the one who called for their help, begging, pleading, that they save her friend and sister Amazons. She was the one who first followed them back to the clan, after the worst of the damage had been fixed. 

And she was the first to settle into the idea of staying within the clan, because it was nice. The Queen let everyone love who they loved, ruled with a hard but fair claw, and even though they ate the clans food and took up space within the lair’s walls, they weren’t expected to pay anything back. They were expected to rest, let their friend heal, and when they were ready to leave, leave. 

Except, a lot of them didn’t want to leave. Rhea didn’t- she told her soon after they got there, about how she and Zana liked it there, liked going and taking care of the hatchlings that were waiting to grow up to either be trained or sold. Eponin had taken immediately to the weapon maker, Hephaestus, and was having his teach her his craft, while Solari herself had become drawn to the artisans of the lair, taken in by the crafts and wares the made. And Ephiny was just glad to have a place to sleep within the hospital wing, where she could watch over Amarice (while they weren’t officially mated, it was clear to everyone that the two were fond of each other, perhaps something more, and all that kept them apart was Ephiny’s misplaced sense of duty as the second in command for the Amazons [even after Cyan had lost, Terreis had kept Ephiny, for a sense of stability while she took over] and some held up emotions for her long lost husband, who had been dead for longer than the Amazons had exited) while she healed. 

They liked it there, they really did. And when Terreis asked her to join her in her bed (something that had not happened for a long time, not since their battle, because even though Cyan still loved her, even though Terreis was still her heart, how could she trust her?), Cyan did, though not for the reasons Terreis had asked her to. 

Instead, they sat up late into the night and talked. Talked about themselves, about their future, about what was going to happen the next time one of them were hurt. Because none of them were healers, none of them had the talent or the patience to learn it, and if the hurt one was one of them? 

It was shortly after that Terreis went to the Queen, and that same day that she announced to the rest of the Amazons that they were to be the Queen’s guard. Specifically, for the Princess Gabrielle, and her Consort, Xena. 

A surprise, since she had heard about Xena- had specifically driven the Amazons away from her and her army, but even the worst monsters could change. And change she had, falling in love with the Princess, and so they protect her as well (though the chances of it being necessary were slim). 

It was a task the Amazons took to quickly, all of them glad to take on the role of protector instead of destroyer. One they threw themselves into, Cyan almost most of all, because she finally had what she had wanted when she first created the Amazons, all that time ago. 

She had a place where she could be free, could repair the damage done to her relationship with Terreis, and could live as she so chose. And for that, she was thankful, and for that, she would proudly serve as part of the Queen’s guard.


	7. Ephiny

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29547262)   


She had been in love once, a long time ago. He had been her everything, her love, her husband, the father of the single egg they had made together, the young son she just knew was growing within there. Phantes had been her happiness and her joy, and she had been his. 

Even though they had started out as enemies, both from opposite clans that hated each other, that had wanted to see each other destroyed, love had won. She found herself drawn to him, even on the battlefield, and so had rejoiced when the truce between their two clans had been called, because it meant they could be together. Something that she hadn’t thought possible when she first realized she loved him, something she thanked the gods for because that meant her heart could be true. 

Only it couldn’t, not for long, at least. Just days before their egg was to hatch, days before their son was to be born into the world, the Beastclan attacked, drawing them, along with everyone else in the now conjoined clan, away from the lair, from the nests, to defend it. To fight the monsters that wanted nothing more than to see dragon-kind driven into extinction. She fought, railing against the creatures that threatened her home, eventually driving them off. 

But not without losses. Not without terrible, terrible losses.

It would have been bad enough it she had just lost Phantes- he had been overwhelmed, cut off from others from the clan, and taken down before help could get to it. It would have been bad enough if she had just lost him. 

But others had snuck past them, gotten into the lair and into the nests and _eaten_  the eggs, leaving nothing more than a few shell pieces as the remains of her son. 

She left the clan shortly after; her and Phantes had been the first marriage to come from the peace, and the leaders of the clan were desperate to show that the peace was still worth it. They had “encouraged” her to look past her pain, to find some other male she could stand to have at her side, and mate with him instead, when she was ready. They “encouraged” her to choose someone they found suitable, “encouraged” her to go along with their plan, and had “encouraged” her by laying out what, exactly, would happen if she didn’t comply willingly. 

So she left, left and joined the Amazons, and quickly found herself with almost more children than she could handle. Because most of the females joining them were barely adults, still moving out of the hatchling phase into full dragonhood, and somehow, she became their mother. 

Kind of. It was more she became a leader, instated by Cyan as her second in command, a position Terreis kept her in. But even though it was a fancy title, it still came down to the same thing- she became the den mother to the tribe, and while it was hard work, she kind of enjoyed it. 

Enjoyed helping the girls train and navigate the paths of life that laid before them, enjoyed herding them away from danger and onto the safer trails, enjoyed arguing with them that just because they _could_  eat the poisonous bugs didn’t mean that they should. She honestly enjoyed it. 

She did not enjoy the fact that one of them, little Amarice, had fallen in love with her, and she did not enjoy the fact that, despite herself, she was falling in love right back. 

She tried to deny it, tried to deny the fact that she enjoyed it when the girl tagged after her on hunting trips, that she always came to her with her questions about the world, that she always seemed to somehow end up next to her when they made camp. She tried to deny that she loved the way the light shone off her scales, loved the scent that billowed from her every time she shifted her wings, tried to deny with everything in her her clear attraction to her. 

Ephiny thought she had succeeded. That she had been able to push Amarice to the back of her mind, making her just another sister within the Amazon tribe, one of the females she would rule if anything ever happened to their leader. 

Only, the moment she was hurt, almost killed in the mire, everything changed. Because she had already lost Phantes; she couldn’t lose Amarice as well. 

She wasn’t sure how they got into the lair, how they moved from the mire into the warm medical room Amarice had been set up in- it was all one giant blur, where she couldn’t take her eyes off of Amarice’s face, had to be wrestled away from her side so strangers could help her, had to practically be dragged in some random direction to end up here. She wasn’t sure how she had, couldn’t entirely understand it, but somehow it had worked. 

Somehow Amarice was alive and would stay alive. Of that she was sure. 

She barely moved, those long, long weeks that Amarice slept, kept asleep by potions so her neck could heal. It’d been a bad wound, one Amarice almost hadn’t lived through, though through luck and her own strength she would. She would live. And Ephiny made it clear she was going to watch her do so. So she slept in the medical ward, ate in the medical ward, only left when dragons came in and dragged her to the nearest river to bathe. Otherwise she didn’t leave her side. 

She stayed there and prayed to the gods, came to term with the fact that she was in love, and begged anyone who listened to help Amarice live so she could tell her. 

And live she did. Weeks, almost two months after they had first been brought into the lair, Amarice opened her eyes and saw her standing there, watching, and smiled. Smiled a lazy smile while she reached out with her claws to touch Ephiny’s cheek, a touch Ephiny happily leaned into, placing a kiss against the claw. 

Words weren’t needed, it was so clear- they were in love, they were finally admitting that they were in love, and everything was going to be ok. 

At least, it would be in time. Amarice was upset when it was declared that the Amazons were taking on the role of Queen’s Guard, though she quickly became friends with Princess Gabrielle, the two of them about the same age. Even still, though, she felt responsible, guilty, as if the decision for them all to stay was because of her, not because it was best for the tribe. And no matter what any of them said, she refused to believe otherwise. Ephiny, though, was just glad they were going to be somewhere safe, somewhere defendable, that everyone within the clan was trained to fight instead of just a small grouping. Because if everyone could fight, that was that much larger of a group who would help keep each other safe, that many more warriors who would be watching each other’s backs. 

That much smaller of a chance that she would lose Amarice as well, something she knew her heart couldn’t bear. 

So, she accepted her role as Queen’s Guard (and in truth, she became fast friends with Queen Gabrielle as well, along with her Consort, Xena, making the job that much easier), accepted that if anything were to happen to Terreis she would become leader, accepted what was to be her future and life. 

Because she had Amarice at her side, had her love close now that she had finally accepted that Amarice was, in fact, her second great love, and so long as that held true, she was happy and could accept whatever may come in the future.


	8. Amarice

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29610917)   


Young, wild, reveling in her freedom- to say that Amarice was the ‘wild hatchling’ of the Amazons would be an understatement. She wanted nothing more than to run, to spend her nights under the stars and her days under the sun, just free. 

She grew up on the tales of the Amazons, overhearing from whispered rumors of who they were, what they stood for, the reasons they fought. Many of the dragons in her clan were both terrified of and in awe of the group, and kept close ear and eye out for them. Both to hear more about their adventures and to make sure to stay out of their way. Whenever the Amazons were nearby, the entire clan would leave for a few weeks, making sure to clear out and ensure the clan’s safety. 

Amarice listened for a different reason. She listened so that, the day she became an adult, the same day she was supposed to figure out what her role in the clan was to be, she could run. Run and join them, becoming the Amazon she always knew she should be. 

It was harder than she expected it to be, though the Amazons welcomed her in with open arms as a sister. When you had lived your entire life somewhere warm, somewhere safe, somewhere comfortable and caring, with food and a bed, it was hard to get used to the wild. But she did. She threw herself into the lifestyle- into the fighting, into the hunting, into the training, she threw everything she had into learning how to be one. 

Mostly for herself- she wanted to be the best, if not the leader herself one day. She loved the life, even if it was hard. But also, partly, because of Ephiny. 

She had fallen in love with the much older dragon the moment she saw her. She was beautiful, graceful, the most amazing creature she had ever laid eyes upon. And she seemed utterly uninterested, much to Amarice’s heartbreak. Every time she tried to pursue her, tried to show that she was a dragon worthy of standing at her side, Ephiny turned her down. Sometimes gently- with a kind word about finding her own mate soon; sometimes harshly, lashing out with claw or tail, though these were rare. 

Though again upset over the rejection, she didn’t give up. Just changed her tactic some, especially after she found out about her past, and instead just worked on becoming her friend. On treating her like a mentor. On letting things fall where they may, and be alright with where they lied. 

But she still wanted to impress her, even though she was forcing back her crush, and so, when they were in the mire, she went up against the monsters alone. To prove that she was strong. To prove that she was worthy of being an Amazon. To prove, even if just to herself, that she was worthy of Ephiny, even if she would never win her. 

She doesn’t remember much of what happened after that. Pain, more pain than she had ever known before, more pain than she ever wished to know again. It was agony, it was death, it was the end in a flood of red and the inability to breathe. 

She was praising the gods when she passed out, just glad that the pain was finally over. 

She wasn’t sure how long she was out. Days, maybe? Weeks? Months? She had no frame of reference when she finally woke up, because they were in a cave. A warm, brightly lit cavern, comfortably laid on a feather pallet, her wounds wrapped and treated with medical skill none of the Amazons would ever know. 

All suggesting that an outside influence had saved her, but none of that truly mattered. Because laying on a cot by her side was Ephiny, looking for all the world like a horrible mess. The plates and bowls surrounding them and the deep indent on the pallet where Ephiny had shifted said she hadn’t left her side in quite a while. 

She must have made some kind of noise, because in a moment Ephiny was awake and tending to her, crooning that she had to stay still, not to talk, that she was going to be ok. She would be alright and live and everything would be okay. 

Ephiny repeated those words over and over again, even as the tears began to stream down her face and she stopped physically fussing over her. As she just took her claw between her hands and pressed a kiss to it. As Ephiny leaned down and kissed her. 

She’d almost died, but Amarice had to think it was worth it. She gained a mate and the clan gained a home out of it. 

They filled her in, when she was healed enough to speak- all of the Amazons piled into the room, Ephiny curled around her in bed, everyone just wanting to see that she was ok. They told her how she had been injured, how they had been found, about the clan that had taken them in and given them a place to stay while she healed. About the beautiful world the clan had created. About how they all wanted to stay. 

She was torn, at first- she had never wanted to settle down, had always wanted to explore the world, had wanted to be free to be herself. Someone she felt like she couldn’t be in a permanent, settled clan. 

But Ephiny wanted to give it a try, had become tired of traveling, and so Amarice was willing to try it too. 

She was glad she did, because becoming the Queen’s Guard with the rest of the Amazons was the best thing she had ever done. 

They still traveled- Queen Tamora often sent Princess Gabrielle off to see the world, to make her a better ruler in the future, and while she didn’t need the protection (Gabrielle’s mate, Xena, was a terror in and of herself), the Guard still went. They traveled across all the world, and within the safety of the clan. When they were tired, they had beds. When they were hungry, they had food. They were safe, they were comfortable, and they had a home. 

She became close to Gabrielle- amongst the much older dragons, they were the closest in age, and thus became friends. And because this, she was often among the traveling group the most often, sating her wanderlust. 

And when she was ready to be done? She went home. Sometimes it was empty- Ephiny was often sent off herself, to perform tasks for the clan that needed the Guard. Sometime she was the one that was came home to, welcoming Ephiny home with a kiss hello when the cloth barrier covering the opening to their lair was moved. And sometimes she came home to Ephiny, happy to see her more than anything, and for Amarice? 

For Amarice, this life was all she wanted and more.


	9. Eponin

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29483253)   


She’d always been a fighter. Ever since she was young, even before she joined the Amazons, Eponin had been passionate about fighting. She learned what she could from teachers, and when they could teach her no more, she taught herself. She learned how to fight with tooth and claw, with sword and staff, with ever weapon she could find. Modern ones, made by dragons for dragon kind; ancient ones, made by the ancients with their strange claws; even ones bearing the mark of the beastclan, she figured out how to master.

And when the Amazons gave her the option to travel and learn more, she quickly and happily joined them.  

It was the best choice of her life, because besides knowledge, friendship, and a sisterhood, she found her love and gained a wife: Solari.

She was loyal to the Amazons, in all the forms it took- under Cyan, under Terreis, when they all decided to settle and become the Queen’s Guard after Amarice's injury and healing. She just wanted to keep her family together, and so was willing to do what everyone thought best, so long as she could stay with them and Solari. She was happy- the clan had a forge and a blacksmith, a large dragon named Hephaestus, who took her under his wing, teaching her how to forge her own weapons. She made news ones as she learned, becoming more and more skilled with each day, creating masterpieces of beauty and death alike.

She still got to fight, took up training besides the other teachers in the ludus, and found that teaching suited her. She even taught Princess Gabrielle how to fight, despite Batiatus’ protests (but he got over it soon enough, when the Queen offered him bigger fish to train, real warriors who wanted to learn how to fight, not the little Princess who was only learning because she had to).

She was happy, and for her? That was enough.


	10. Solari

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29685585)   


She wasn’t anything special. She was just as strong as the other Amazons, just as fast, just as dedicated-but just ‘just.’ She had little to set her apart from her sisters, and she liked it that way. She had no desire to rule, no desire to become the best- she just wanted to live and let live, happy in her life. Happy to be in love with Eponin, happy to be, when the Amazons made the change after Amarice's miraculous recovery, one of the Queen’s Guard, happy to just be part of something. She had her friends, had her love, had her job- for everything, Solari was glad. 

Perhaps it was this that made her such a target for secrets. 

Dragons told her things- she knew when Ephiny was going to propose to Amarice because she told her, off handedly, though she quickly became flushed and flustered at her admission. She knew that Lucretia was poisoning Doctor, because she told her so- she then threatened to do the same to her if she ever told, though Solari was able to convince her that her secret was safe (she had heard the stories, and so was glad the old dragon slept). She knew that Angie had a lover of her own, somewhere out in the large world of theirs; she knew that Yako still feared her demon husband’s return, knew that Carmilla was still struggling with the Shade’s touch, knew all of the drama that was going on with the ‘gods’ of their clan- she knew everything. She even knew secrets about dragons outside of the clan, dragons from the clans she visited with Gabrielle or Tamora, because they just…told her. 

They told her, and slowly her hoard of secrets grew. Some she tried to forget, some she held onto for later, but all that she heard. 

Because even within her happiness at her normal, simple life, she was glad to be the Keeper of the Secrets, and so kept her ears sharp for the next one to come her way.


	11. Rhea

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29654389)   


Rhea had been young, just a child, when Cyan took her and left. 

She hadn’t understood, at first, hadn’t understood why they had to leave their home and their parents, why they had to leave the safety of the clan and lair for the wild outdoors, why they had to leave behind their future husbands and the easy life that would come from them for the world beyond. She just hadn’t understood.

And for a long time, if she was honest, she hated her sister for it. 

Oh, she enjoyed the travel, or at least learned to. While she never got used to waking up somewhere different each night, she enjoyed the days spent traveling, exploring, always seeing something new. And she enjoyed the friendship, the sisterhood, of the Amazons. And while she would never get used to fighting, especially the infighting that ended with her sister almost dead by the hands of her very own mate, she did enjoy getting stronger, faster, the benefits of always being on the run and fighting for your life. 

But she wanted to get married. Wanted to settle down, get married, have a few children of her own- she actually wanted that, and while yes, none of the male they had met during their travels (roughians and hooligans, the lot of them) would have been her first choice in mate, surely there was someone out there for her? Someone who would love her as much as she loved them? Someone she would share a nest with, raise children with, and just be happy with. 

Turns out, that someone was Zana, and when Rhea realized she loved her, realized that most clans wouldn’t let them be together, she forgave her sister, because she finally understood. So she took greater joy in being an Amazon, threw herself into serving her tribe, and was happy. 

At least, until Amarice was hurt. 

Amarice, the youngest of them all. Practically still a hatchling, one she and Zana had watched over while the rest of the tribe hunted or did the raids, little Amarice who had fallen in love with Ephiny and always had her advances turned away by the older dragon, undesired by her. Amarice, who she had sung lullabies to during the first few weeks after she had joined them, because that was what her mother had done to help her get to sleep, and she still needed them. 

Little Amarice, who almost died in battle against a toridae she had no right fighting to begin with, who had only done so to prove she wasn’t a child and was worthy of Ephiny’s heart. 

She lived through luck and luck alone, and while she felt guilty even thinking so, Rhea couldn’t help but think that, maybe, her injury had been a blessing to them all from the gods. 

Because Terreis became a lot less uptight about everything, and Cyan found herself a little less bitter towards her wife, and Ephiny finally took her head out from under her wing and realized that she did care for Amarice, very deeply, and Eponin and Solari found themselves drawn to interests other than war and travel and each other, and she and Zara found something to make themselves happy as well- the children. 

She had come to terms with the fact that she would never have children of her own, not her own and Zara’s. Oh, she could choose any male she wanted to during their travels, mate with him to have her eggs, and then Zara would step in and claim them as her own- that much they had talked about before being mated and wed, and both were ok with that. But if she wanted Zara’s children, then that couldn’t be. So, she had given up on the idea of biological children, even going so far as pseudo-adopting Amarice as her own, even if the girl didn’t want her to. 

But the clan was so full of hatchling, children who were bought to be raised and trained, children who needed a mother or two to watch over them when the ludus was busy, dragons to raise the children until they were old enough to train. 

Dragons that could be her and Zara. 

So, when it was declared that the Amazons would stay in the clan, stay on as the Queen’s Guard, Rhea almost cried. Because that wasn’t a full time job, not really- they were taking it in shifts, six hour shifts spread between the eight of them, and the chances of their services even being needed, considering who the Princess’ Consort was, were slim. 

Meaning they could take second tasks if they so desires, meaning she and Zara could take control of the children. 

The Queen had been taken aback by the request, but she had approved it quickly enough, allowing them to split their time between their duties as guards for the Princess and as caretakers for the children of the clan, ensuring that they were well tended until it was time to train. 

And Rhea blessed the day Cyan stole her from their parents, from their old clan, and created the Amazon-turned-guards tribe, because that led her to Zara, led her to this clan, led her to her happiness. And happy she was, and always would be.


	12. Zana

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29682368)   


It’d been foggy, the night she decided to leave. She hadn’t had a plan, just a knowledge that she had to. She couldn’t stay, couldn’t remain- the itch beneath her skin drove her on, pushed her to slip out in the middle of the night. She didn’t say good bye, didn’t tell anyone, didn’t tell her parents or her sister Idlin, she just left. 

Left into the night, into the darkness and the fog, left to find out why she had to leave. 

She found the Amazons three days later, and so found her destiny. The itch that had forced her to leave, that had been driving her ever since she was young, finally calmed. Calmed and settled and made it clear that she had found where she was supposed to be. 

She enjoyed living with them, hunting for food and building nests to sleep in each night, huddling together with her Amazon sisters for warmth and comfort. Enjoyed learning how to navigate by the stars and the landscape, learning how to traverse the different lands of the different gods as they traveled from place to place, making each one a temporary home before moving on. She enjoyed it all, and enjoyed it even more when she became joined to Rhea, to her love, and felt that last little hole in her heart- one that she didn’t even realize existed- close. 

But almost losing Amarice _hurt_ , more than she realized it would- she had always considered her a sister, almost a replacement for Idlin, and the entire time she was healing, even if she didn’t obsess as hard as Ephiny had, she had been worried. And thankful when they all sat down and talked about staying. Because to lose one of her sisters, to lose Rhea, would destroy her. Destroy her happiness, shatter the heart she had put together, and she couldn’t bear to live through that. So to stay in the clan, to take up a position as a member of the Queen’s Guard, suited her perfectly. 

They had had their adventures, had had their fun, but it was time to settle. 

She and Rhea also took up caring for the children of the clan- unable to have their own, they all but adopted the littles ones who were bought to be trained or resold by the clan, happy with the temporary motherhood each hatchling offered. It was a simpliness that she enjoyed, though it brought up old memories she hadn’t thought about in a long, long time. Memories of her parents, of her sister, of her old home- things she missed, things that still hurt to think about today. 

So when Tamora announced that a party was being sent to a clan that bore the same name as her old ones, she immediately agreed to go. Because if that was her old home, maybe she could make amends for some of the wrongs she had done by leaving the way she did, all those years ago. 

It was nothing like the home she remembered, though it had been years. Years since she had gone back, years since she had seen the home that had once been hers, to the point that it was barely her home anymore. How could it be, when nothing was the same? 

She was almost to tears, glad for the masks that made up the Amazons’ Queen’s Guard uniforms for hiding her face. Only to find herself striking out at the dragon that had launched herself towards the Princess, tackling her with the other Guards to protect their Princess. 

Only for it to be Idlin. Beautiful, lovely, fully grown Idlin. 

She begged for her sister’s life, and was granted it, granted permission for her to join the clan, and for that she was forever grateful. Because even though looking at her sister hurt now- the attack had left her wounded, scarred, but at least she was alive- it was at least her. She had Idlin back, and was grateful for that fact that she did. 

Because it helped to heal the guilt she had carried for so long, to set to rest the voice in the back of her head that had blamed her, and for that she was glad. 

She had everything she ever wanted, and so was just glad.


	13. Shelby

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=1375308)   


It was hard, being the face of a clan, especially when you had no desire to be so.  


It hadn’t been hard, getting the job. When she had been young, just a hatchling, Tamora had approached her and made her the offer- in exchange for a permanent home, a place she could call her own, she would become her voice. Her voice and her will, the one sent off to discuss news and trade agreements and treaties with other neighboring clans instead of her going herself. She would represent them all, would be the one thought of when the world thought of their lair, and would hold all the power outside of the clan that she did within. 

Or, if she wanted, she would be taken to the market the moment she was grown and sold into some uncertain future, the clan having no need of another mouth to feed that did nothing for them. 

The choice had been easy to make. Her own mother had sold her the moment she was hatched, and this being the only home she knew, how could she choose otherwise? Even if it made no sense why she had chosen her (she liked her voice, she would find out later, and while a calm demeanor and political sense could be taught, a voice that soothed as much as it aroused was a rare gift indeed), Shelby had agreed. 

Agreed and immediately begun her training- sitting by her side at meetings, learning to think like she did, to decipher her will without her words, melding her mind with hers so that, when she was on the road, she would represent her perfectly. 

Over the years she had spent learning, spent traveling with Tamora to meet the other leaders of the clans, the other Kings and Queens that ruled the neighboring lands, she had become good at her job. To the point where, on many trips, she spoke while she stood to the side, giving her words weight they would soon come to have in her absence. She became her voice and her will to the others in the world, and she was a good one. 

Even if she didn’t want it. 

She was a storyteller at heart, a dreamer that found more comfort within the tales both ancient and new instead of the reality she was forced to live in. Stories she would tell to the hatchlings when she was home, after her report had been given to the Queen and she was relieved of her duties for the night. But still she thrived within the clan. 

At least, until her first heartbreak. 

She’d been beautiful, the imperial female Shelby had decided to take as her mate, more beautiful than any other she’d ever seen. She had thought their love forever, their children to be many and strong, but no. 

That female, after a few nests by her side, took leave for another, and left her heartbroken.

She found her comforts with other females, took joy in the children they brought her, though she never stayed with another for long. Better to keep the relationship physical, keep it contained to the children both parties wanted, before risking actual connections of the heart. A heart that, for her, at least, still throbbed with each beat when thoughts of her lost love returned. 

She still had no desire to be the face of the clan, though she took the job willingly- go out, see the world, take leave of the lair where they had once slept, the nests where they had once laid their eggs, at least until the pain faded. Sire whatever children she desired when she was home, when there was a female ready and willing to mate. And for the many lesbian couples who had joined the clan, she became the go-to stud; willing to mate with them so they would have children of their own to raise, and just as willing to step away after the eggs had been hatched. All while she waited for that day. 

Waited for the day she found someone else, found someone who would heal her heart of the wounds it never should have had, had her love been true. 

She did her job, grinning and baring the duty she had been given, but it was still hard to be the face of a clan when you had no desire to do so.


	14. Arya

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=73024)   


She was a Princess, once. Born and raised on the political warfare that had been her mother’s kingdom, she had been bred to rule. It had been her destiny to take over, to become Queen, once her mother passed, and while she had no love for the job, she had been eager to take over. To become Queen, to help her people, to rule over the vast swaths of land her mother had carved out for them over the decades she had reigned, and to continue on that great legacy.

Princess Arya had been prepared to rule, to give all for her kingdom. Until she met Eragon, the stupid little farmer boy that he was, and fell in love. 

A chance meeting in the market, a surprise not even the gods could have foreseen, the product of a mere moment’s miscalculation, leading to her knocking him into a barrel of wine. She had paid, of course, for the ruined drink, and had insisted on him returning to the castle with her- his clothes (if they could be called that, for they had been little better than rags) had been all but destroyed in the dunking, and she had insisted on fitting him with something new. And while they had walked back to the castle they had talked, and while he had been fitted and changed they had talked, and as he was being escorted out they made plans to talk. 

They talked for months, almost a year, about everything- she taught him the rudiments of politics, he taught her about the soil and the plants and animals that let their kingdom thrive, that were the very basis of their economy. For almost a year they became friends, Arya greatly looking forward to their bi-, if not tri-, weekly meetings. 

Until he kissed her, and she kissed him back, uncaring of the repercussions this kiss could have. 

They tried to keep it a secret, at least for a while- she was hoping that it was just infatuation with what she knew she shouldn’t do, and that indulging in it for a short while would help drive away the desire. But the longer they continued, the longer their affair went on, the harder and deeper she fell. 

Fell until it was too late, until a guard discovered them, until she was called before her Queen mother and ordered to end it. 

She could have any male she desired, any in the world, so long as they were of a noble blood, so long as the marriage would help the kingdom, so long as it was any male but him. 

But she only wanted him, only wanted Eragon, and so she chose him. She cast off her crown, threw aside everything she had been raised to be, and they ran. Ran as far as they could to escape their pasts, as far as possible, until they stumbled upon the clan. 

Right into Howl, Sophie, and Yuko’s herb garden, accidently destroying half of the precious plants when some loose stones send them tumbling into the cliffs the clan had made its lair. 

They were not punished (though Yuko demanded blood). No, instead Queen Tamora looked at them and saw something that warmed her, and instead she offered them a place to stay. A place to call home. A place that was still offered even after Arya revealed her lineage, though extra guards were posted, just in case her mother ever tried to find her. 

Eragon was given a place on the farm, working together with Demeter, Persephone, Hecuba and Herodotus to grow the clan’s plants. On occasion he helped Elena with her flowers, or with the herbs- so long as he could be part of the earth, could tend to the plants that sustained them, he was happy. 

And Ayra was given a seat by Tamora’s side, given a voice within the ruling of the clan, allowed to speak just as much as Felix or Brad or even Shelby was, for raised in politics and bred to rule, she was the perfect voice to help fill out the council that advised the Queen. She would never be Queen herself, but she was making a difference, and every night, when the council decided that it was time to rest, she went to a home smelling of dirt and sun and plants and made warm by love, for she was able to be with Eragon. 

And with that, Arya was happy.


	15. Eragon

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=75722)   


Born a farmer, raised a farmer, Eragon had never believed he would be anything other than a farmer. He had believed he would spend his days with his claws dug into the dirt, bringing forth new plant life that would nourish his people. Maybe with a wife, a handful of children, his life would be a hard yet simple one, one he could be content with. 

Content, maybe never happy, because his own dreams had always been great, but he could be content. 

Until he was knocked into a barrel of wine, and met the Princess Arya. Until he was taken to her home for new clothes, the two of them talking as they walked, becoming fast friends in the short time they spent together. Until she asked to visit him, and did so for months. 

Until he kissed her, unable to deny that he was utterly in love. 

He was surprised when she kissed him back, when she accepted him as her mate, when she denied her family and left with him. He was surprised and confused, because she was a Princess and he was just a farm boy, nothing special within the world. Even when they reached their new clan and settled down, that was still all he was, a farm boy. A prosperous one, yes- the farm Queen Tamora gave him, between the herb gardens and the sacred farms kept by Demeter and Persephone, bordering on the northern side by the flowers Elena and Yuna grew between their duties, thrived. Thrived and produced and fed all of the plant eaters in the clan, with more than enough to put off for winter. 

But even then, he was still just a farm boy, and she was on the council, an adviser to the Queen. How could she want him? 

How could he be worthy of her? 

So, when the long nights kept Arya by the Queen’s side, when the council stayed awake long into the night to ensure the proper decision was reached (which was quite often, much to everyone’s chagrin), he went to the ludus and trained. Trained himself how to fight, how to protect someone, how to be more than a farm boy. 

And when his training was done, he went to Yuko and Howl and Sophie, the magic users of the clan, and asked them to train him as well. Because a warrior trained in magics and claws was that much stronger, that much more able to protect those they love, and so he trained and trained until the bursts of energy that left his claws were as strong as the claws themselves. 

And he saved enough money to buy some armor, and, one day, when it was time for the council to break apart and come home, he was there. There to escort Arya back to their home, ready to protect her at any given moment, ready to be her knight in shining armor, even if she didn’t need it. 

He was a farm boy, yes, but also a warrior, and he had made himself worthy of his love. Even if she didn’t think he needed to be, because as she laughed and lifted the visor of his helm to kiss him, she reminded him that she had fallen in love with the farm boy, and even all that time ago, he had still be worthy of her. 

Because he was him, and she loved him.


	16. Brad

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=17128)   


Created by the Arcanist himself, Brad had always known he had a destiny by Tamora’s side. He had been created literally for her, to protect her and to guide her on her way, helping her to fulfill her own destiny of becoming the Queen of the greatest clan to ever live. It was a worthy destiny, a great charge, and any guardian would have been honored to hold such a position. 

Only, it wasn’t a destiny, charge, or position that Brad wanted. 

It was just a job to him, he realized, after those first few days- the first few days of clawing out the beginnings of the lair, of gathering enough food to fill their stomachs, of starting the preparations for the clan to become great. There was nothing keeping him there, keeping him working, other than a simple sense of obligation. He had been created to be by Tamora’s side, and so by her side he would stay. 

But she was not his charge, and even as he stood by her, even as he loved her the best that he could, giving her the support and heirs that she so required, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it was true. It was a love and support created because he was there and she needed someone to perform those actions for her, and he could, so he did. He did, and though it was not what he so desired, it was not a distasteful duty, being the Queen’s Consort, so he continued to do so. 

It was nice, being in a position of power, helping the clan grow stronger and stronger, expanding throughout the realm as the Arcanist granted them more power, more land, more dragons to be their own. To whisper in her ear and see what he had said done. It was nice, and though he only cared about Tamora as a friend, Brad was not overly concerned about changing the order of their lives. 

Until he saw her. 

She was mostly insane, Cybug, when the hunters dragged her in, hissing and spitting and trying to bite off the nearest tail. She couldn’t speak, not in any dialect they understood- even Eponin and Solari couldn’t make out a coherent word, and they were half mad themselves. When brought before Tamora, she had had every intention of sending Cybug out to be trained and sent to the Arcanist, or, if untrainable, to be sent to the market and sold to whatever fool would take her. But then Brad had stepped up, had put himself between Cybug and the others, had sliced through her bindings and begun to endure the painful attack that had immediately started, and claimed her as his charge. 

Tamora had fought him, momentarily- not about him leaving her, no; Tamora had always understood the nature of their arrangement, had always known that Brad would leave her one day, but over the fact that he was leaving her for Cybug, of all dragons. She was barely better than the Beastclans their warriors fought against on a daily basis, and to allow her into the clan, into their home? 

Brad had just shrugged and offered to take her and leave. And Tamora had folded, had just shaken her head and swore that, if Cybug set a single claw out of line, it would be cut off. 

It was easy to learn how to control her, eventually- she was a great warrior when pointed towards the opponent and let loose, and while she still attacked him (attacks he warded off with the thick leather clothes Tamora bought for him), Cybug also seemed to hold some measure of trust towards Brad. She let him lead her out into the wild, let him point her towards what she was allowed to kill, and she did the rest. Fought and killed and half devoured her destroyed prey before moving on to the next, eventually wearing herself out so badly that she couldn’t move. Couldn’t protest as Brad lifted and carried her back to the lair, couldn’t do anything more than sleep and gain her strength for the battled the next day. 

Brad just stood by her side and watched, making sure to collect what was salvageable from the beasts when the battle was complete. He had to bring back something to make her worth it to the clans. 

The other half were the medications Howl and Yuko and Sophie mixed for him, potions that calmed the madness wracking her mind, that helped to calm the anger and rage that always seemed present within her. It didn’t change her, not much, just made her that much more manageable for him when they were within the clan. She stopped trying to bite off tails and wings and everything else she could reach, and instead actually slept. Slept and eat real food and saved her savagery for the coliseum. 

She was a mess, but she was his charge, and he loved her all the same. And maybe she loved him too, in some strange way he would never be able to understand. But he loved her, cared for her more than anyone else, and so he stayed by her side, taught her how to fight, and kept her drinking her morning potion so they could stay within the clan they both called home. 

There hadn’t been any deaths because of her, not yet, and it all gave him hope it would stay that way.


	17. Cybug

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=107970)   


_Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep._

_Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, mate, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, fight, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, kill, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, sleep. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Eat, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad._

**_BRAD_**. 

_…love Brad…_

_Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad. Eat, fight, mate, kill, sleep, love Brad…_

(Original Pre-Shade War, Pre-Plague Dragon)


	18. Yako

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=55198)   


He had been so beautiful, so charming- everything she ever could have wished for in a male. Everything she ever could have wanted in a mate, a lover, a husband. What Yako hadn’t realized, all those years ago, when she first met Neuro, was that he was of the Shade, from the Shade, and any children she had by him would be of the Shade as well. 

It had hurt- being with him, being his mate, bearing his children. It had been painful, both physically and mentally, because all of her children had been _things_. Not dragons, not monsters, not even anything she could truly understand. Creatures not born from eggs, but instead things that had clawed their way from her belly, herself only kept alive by Neuro’s tender care, care that ended the moment she was healed and healthy enough to go through the process again. Bringing creatures of the Shade into the world at large. 

Except Rapunzel. Her little girl, the one egg she had laid, a surprise to them both. Because even though Neuro was a creature of the Shade, he had been a dragon, once, so long ago, and a little bit of that dragon still remained, something beyond his form itself. And that little bit resulted in her, in a single egg that Neuro allowed her to keep, a child she could call her own, since none of the others she could claim. 

She claimed her, claimed Rapunzel and kept her safe from her father, and one day, they ran. 

Ran to someplace they could be safe, ran until they found the clan, until Queen Tamora found them and took them in. Making to clear that they would be safe, and if Neuro ever came for them, they would fight. 

The clan had been small at the time, only a handful of dragons, but Tamora had been determined to make good on her promise. And when Neuro showed up, demanding that Yako return home and return to her place by his side, as the mother of his Shade born children, Tamora kept up her promise. 

It was a bloody battle between them all, between the Queen and her dragons and Neuro and his children, darkening the grass around the clan to a horrible shade of red. A battle that almost destroyed them all, that almost ended their lives, that almost concluded with her recapture and the end of it all. 

But they won. They destroyed his children, and when it was clear he could not win, when Neuro tried to run, they caught him. Caught him, chained him, and when it was clear he was done, she finished him. Finished him, and in doing so, freed herself and her child. 

Yako threw herself into the rebuilding of the clan, into helping to fix what she had broken. Only a few remained from the original clan- Tamora and Felix, Brad and Cybug, Shelby, Arya, Eragon, Sophie, Howl, and Doctor. Only ten from the original hundred who had lived within the clan when she had first arrived, their lives willing lost to destroy the agent of the Shade. She mourned their loss, prayed to the gods to deliver them somewhere safe for their sacrifices for her and her child, and dedicated her life to them all. 

She raised Rapunzel in safety, sat upon the council when Tamora asked her to join, and always kept her eyes open for agents of the Shade. For signs that Neuro had returned, for signs that any of her other children had survived, for anything that might threaten her life. 

She kept her eyes open, so if of those signs arrived, she could inform the Queen and being the fight once more.

And she failed. Failed to see the signs, failed to understand what was going on- failed to recognize that the plague, the illness that took so many of them, was his doing as well. She blamed herself- blamed herself for their deaths, because if she had never arrived, if she had never come to this clan, they would all be alive. Them and so many others. But she failed, and so she threw herself into fixing her mistake. Into caring for the ill, helping them get better, driving away the darkness that had once again crept in. 

And when the plague was destroyed, she once again took up her post as watcher, only this time with a keener eye for the darkness sure to come.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	19. Yuko

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=11623354)   


She was a witch, a wish-granter, and her very existence scared them all. 

She’d always known what she was, even from a young age, all those hundreds of years ago. She didn’t remember, of course, being that young- her first memories were of her herbs, her spells, her knowledge of both this world and the next, and anything before that was a blur. Not that it mattered, for with or without her earliest memories, she could still do her job. 

She could still grant wishes, the deepest wishes that were held within someone’s soul. For a price. 

She didn’t discriminate between the wishes- someone’s downfall was treated as equal as a wish for a pet, and all were granted if the wisher could pay. But they didn’t know, none of them ever realized that there was always something more. An extra, created by the fulfillment of the wish through magical means, that always turned. 

The wisher for someone’s downfall would find themselves falling as well, their own standing only from the shoulders of the one they hated. And the pet was sure to live a long, happy, healthy life, always loving its own…should the owner treat it correctly. Otherwise, well, the results weren’t pretty. 

Her talents were feared by her original clan, driving her out, and so from clan to clan she went. She wasn’t bothered by the constant uprooting, by the fear and anger that was inevitably turned against her. She couldn’t be bothered by it, because she understood, even if she had no desire to change. Along the way she picked up a knack for herbs and medicines, learning how to mix and sell potions to get the treasure she needed to keep herself alive, between clans. 

It was not a fun or comfortable life, but it was hers, and she accepted it as such. 

She eventually found her way here, and while it was nice, she had no plans to stay. She would eventually be thrown out, eventually be feared and hated just as well, and so she kept her things light and enjoyed it while she could. 

Enjoyed working with Howl and Sophie in the herb garden, growing what was needed to keep the clan healthy. Enjoyed the friendship and companions she earned throughout the clan, just glad to be by other’s sides. Enjoyed the food and warmth and comforts a clan could offer. 

Though, when Queen Tamora approached her with an offer to join the council, her medical knowledge and surprising wisdom things that would be a great asset, she had to refuse. Refuse and tell the truth, for this was the longest she had lived in a clan, and surely it was time for her to go? 

But Tamora refused. Refused to see her in any other light, for had she ever granted the wish of one of the clan mates? No. Had she ever harmed any of them? No. And would she? Well, Tamora was no Oracle, that was Elena, but she didn’t believe she ever would. 

And if she did, they would drive her out then, but not a moment before. 

So she took her place on the council, gave her word to the Queen’s ear, and continued to tend the herb garden, content, for now, with her home. 

It took its toll, when the plague spread amongst the clan, taking to death's door all who it touched, but still she persisted. Persisted and survived, eventually helping to save the clan with her medicines, though it hurt to see her home so destroyed. It hurt, but she kept on, eventually sliding back into the life she had known before the disease had run rampant. 

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	20. Rapunzel

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=134696)   


She didn’t know her father. Her mother never let her see him. He was dangerous, Yako had told her many times, dangerous and more than willing to hurt her to keep them both in line. So whenever her father came to see them, Rapunzel would be hidden away in a special room in their lair. A special room with food and toys and her familiar and best friend, Pascal. There, she would spend however long she had to, playing and talking and keeping herself occupied. 

She never heard anything- the walls were too thick. But, eventually, she would hear her mother knocking on the door, telling her it was safe to come out. Yako would be exhausted, worse for the wear of whatever her father had put her through, but she would smile and hold out her arms to her child, and pretend it was all ok. 

But Rapunzel knew. She always noticed. Noticed when Yako flinched away from a touch, because to feel it would have hurt too much. Noticed when there was a haunted look in her eyes. Noticed when she wasn’t quite right, in those first few days after her father left to wherever it was he went. She knew, and she did her best to help. 

She learned about herbs- whenever there was treasure to spend and Yako asked her if she wanted a gift, she asked for books about the world. About animals and plants and rocks and, most importantly, medicines. She learned how to brew teas, teas she would give to her mother to help her sleep. Salves for wounds, how to soak bandages to help keep away infection, everything she needed to know. 

She had to leave most of them behind when they finally ran. She could only take what they could carry, and since most of their bags were packed with supplies, she barely had room for anything else. Pascal, of course, since he could wrap himself around her neck, and only two books. So she took the most important, her book of plants and her book of animals, because they would help the most. Help them stay as alive as they could. 

It was hard, running. Not knowing where they would sleep, not knowing where they would eventually call home. But she had her mother and her best friend, and for that, Rapunzel was happy. 

And eventually they did find a home. A clan that took them in, that kept them safe from her father when he and the siblings she didn’t know she had came to try and find them, despite the losses the clan took. A clan she and her mother could call home. 

She was just a child, a hatchling, when this took place. She grew up in the clan after the war, and she had seen what a healer could truly do. She watched as Sophie and Howl treated the wounds the war had left, both on the mind and the bodies of those who had survived. Saw how their treatments helped her mother when she finally went to them, helped her heal old wounds that had taken so long to do so on their own. Helped the entire clan get better and stronger. 

When she was old enough, she asked them to train her. And when she showed just how good she already was, they took her on as their apprentice and taught her all she needed to know. 

And, in turn, helped her find her love. 

He had been a thief, trying to seal one of the rare herbs she had managed to gather the day before. Properly dried, a single plant could last them for years. And a single plant went for millions of treasure, drawing Eugene to their lair. 

And the moment he saw her, something strange happened. Something she couldn’t understand at the time. The moment he saw her, he changed. He put back the plant he had been about to steal, kneeled before her, and begged her to be his. 

Love at first sight, it seemed. Or, as she later found out, a Guardian’s instinct when they finally found their charge. 

He begged the Queen to be allowed to stay- she accepted, so long as he gave up his thieving ways (which he did, quickly, though he kept the clothes). He begged Yako for permission to woo her, and got it, though not without much hesitation and promises that he would be nothing like her father. And he wooed her, to the best of his abilities. Followed her as she gathered herbs for the clan’s potions and medicines, learned about her life and shared his own, the stars bright in his eyes as he spoke about her beauty and her soul. 

He was in love, and she fell in love as well. 

And then one day, one day after they had accidently fallen asleep in Elena’s flower garden, she woke up to a stranger watching her. A strange wildclaw male who looked at her with the stars in his eyes, because he loved her so. 

She was worried, at first, that his love for her would fade- what if it had just been Eugene’s Guardian instinct that had attracted him to her, not some real love? Now that he was a wildclaw, having begged the Queen for a scroll and been gifted it at his request, that instinct was no longer there. Would he leave her, now that she truly did love him in turn? 

The answer was no, for no matter what species he could have been, Eugene loved her. He saw the stars and moon and everything good within her, and he loved her. And he always would. 

She eventually graduated to full Healer, taking her place besides Sophie and Howl and Yuko and Felix, caring for her people as best as she could. And she was happy, because she could wash away her father’s legacy just as easily as she washed away the herbal juice each night before going to sleep with her love, leaving her clean to heal again on the marrow.


	21. Eugene

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=124510)   


Born a guardian, Eugene had thought he had everything figured out. He would make a living off of others, stealing their treasures and jewels from their lairs. Why sweat and toil for a living when it took almost as much work, but not quite as much, to steal it? Once he was rich he would start his own lair, his own clan, and become as good as a king, where his servants and underlings would make him richer. And he would never, ever, find his charge. 

There was no need for one. He could be perfectly happy without one, so why deal with the trouble and heartbreak they brought? He saw no point in it, had seen more than a few lives destroyed by their charges, and so refused. 

So he stole and lived a life of fun, uncaring of those he hurt in the process. They weren’t his friends, weren’t some of his own, so why care? 

Until he saw _her_. 

He’d heard that a clan had been able to find quite a few rare plants- medicines, yes, but also plants that would sell for hundreds of thousands of pieces of treasure per. More than enough to keep him set up for a nice long time. And it’s not like the illnesses the plants would heal were common, so him taking them wouldn’t really be that big of a deal. So, he had cased the joint for a couple of weeks, watching the defenses, figuring out the patrols, and then he had struck. 

The store room was supposed to be empty. The hunters were supposed to be out hunting, the guards were supposed to all be out on patrol on the outer borders of the clan, and the herbalists were supposed to just be gone. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone there. 

But she- Rapunzel- walked in just before he could grab the plants and scram, and he froze. He froze, because seeing her physically  _hurt_. It hurt that she stood there, looking so beautiful, hurt that this was the first time his eyes had laid upon her, hurt that she still stood so far away from him. Hurt that she wasn’t in his life right here right now, and he had to fix that. 

He replaced the plant upon the shelf, knelt before her, and begged her to become his. 

He had found his charge. 

He dedicated his life to her, to making her happy, to protecting her, to ensuring that she wanted for nothing in this life. When the Queen allowed him to stay, he threw himself into whatever job she gave him, just glad to try and make himself better for her. He fought, he trained, he did any and everything he ever could to make things better. 

He even changed himself. She was a wildclaw, one of the rarest species in the world, and for him to be worthy of her? He was…he was just a common guardian, a simple creature, and she deserved so much better. 

So he found a scroll. He found a scroll that would change him, and he changed himself to match her. 

There was fear, at first- fear that he had only loved her because she was his charge, but he knew. Knew that wasn’t true, knew he could be something more than his common ancestry, could become something worthy of his love. 

And he was. When it came down to it, he loved her because she was her. He loved her with everything he had, with everything he was, and now he could see himself as worthy for her. Even if she disagreed, even if she loved him even when he was just a common guardian, he at least felt like he was. And for Eugene, that was enough.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	22. Sophie

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=371705)   


She’d been normal once. Just a normal, ordinary girl, with dreams no bigger than owning her own successful hat shop. A simple child, expecting not much out of life, not really, not at all.

Until a witch cursed her, cursed her so she was old and weak and tired despite barely being an adult, and set her life on an entirely different path, one she never could have imagined. 

She left home, after the witch cursed her; there was nothing there for her, not when her eyes were too weak to see the hats she was supposed to be making, not when her fingers were too stiff to hold the needles, not when her bones ached and creaked and made her a burden to everyone else. There was nothing to hold her there, no family, no mate, just herself. 

So she left. Left and, after a while, ran into Howl the wizard. 

He was a vain, arrogant prick, but he took one look at her and saw through her enchantment. And while he never promised to help her with it, he took her under his wing and began to teach her. Teach her about spells and potions, herbs and enchantments, charms and incantations that would do whatever she wanted. He taught her, trained her, and, eventually, fell in love with her. 

He loved her first, she later found out. That was why, even after he discovered the cure for her oldness, he kept it to himself. So she wouldn’t leave. So she’d stay with him. 

He almost lost an eye when he finally told her, her claws lashing out sharp to graze against his snout from fury. How _dare_  he? She took the cure and left, left the moment her youth had returned to her, though not entirely- her skin remained gray, silver as the starlight, and with her fury to guide her, she left. 

It hurt more than she expected, leaving him, but she did. She left and went home, only to remember that there was no home for her. Her old clan hadn’t been able to keep her, and so much had changed, there was nothing to do so now. 

So she left once again, and set out to find somewhere new. She sold her herbs and her charms as she went, and eventually found the clan. Where there was more than enough room, both for her and an herb garden, a little place where she could settle and be happy. 

Only downside? Howl had found it first. 

He begged her to stay, at least for the night- the Queen offered that much, if she so desired it. And because it was late, because it was already dark and getting cold, she accepted. And the next day they sat and talked, until it was, again, too dark and cold for her to begin to leave. And the day after she was given a tour of the clan, and the day after that shown where the herb garden could be, and again and again it was too late, too dark, for her to leave. 

Until she gave up the pretense that she wasn’t glad to see him, that it was only happenstance that she had to stay each day, because, in truth, she had found her home. Her home and her love, once again, because she couldn’t deny that she did, truly, love him. Even if he was still an arrogant prick, she loved him. 

So she stayed, stayed and grew her herbs and sold her potions, partnering with Yuko and Howl and eventually taking Rapunzel for her apprentice, and she truly was home. 

A home she had to fight for, a home she had to save when a mysterious illness, a plague, waltzed through their lair as if it was home itself. She fought, used all of her magic to drive it away, but it had taken so many- part of her wanted to leave, to flee her failure. If she had been better, smarter, a better magician and healer? They would have survived. But she stayed- to leave now, when they needed her the most? She'd truly be a monster. 

And how could she leave her home?

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	23. Howl

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=594674)   


He was a sorcerer, a being with great, amazing magical power. He could travel through time, transform matter, bend the very shape of reality. A blessed of the Arcanist, Howl was incredibly powerful. 

He mainly used his magic to color his fur.

He knew he was vain. He knew he was arrogant. He knew the world looked upon his waste of his magic with a critical, judging eye. He knew many thought him a fool, thought him insane, though him a waste himself. But he didn’t care.

He liked his fur pretty, and so just shrugged them off. 

Though, he did take in that young female who had been cursed to be old and ugly, so there was that. 

Part of his reason for taking her in was selfish- she agreed to care for him, take care of his chores and clean his lair, if he took her in and helped her. And he hated chores, even when he could just use a flick of his wrist and they were done. He truly did hate them. The other par was he was actually curious- her curse was complex, and even if he was lazy, he did enjoy learning. So he took her in, and began to study her. 

And ended up falling in love. 

He found the cure relatively quickly, but even though her cursed oldness disgusted him, he was still in love with her, and so kept it to himself. He didn’t want her leaving him, didn’t want her to walk away once she was young and beautiful again, and so kept it to himself. 

But as it were to happen, she found out. Found out, took the potion, declared her own love for him, and walked away. 

He traveled for a while, trying to find a way to tame his broken heart- an impossible task, but still one he strived for. He tried to forget her, tried to let her go…and when he found that he couldn’t, when he realized that he couldn’t let go of the love he had for her, he tried to become worthy of her. Tried to be a better dragon, a better magician, actually help people with his magic instead of using it to make himself look pretty. 

He finally found a place where he could settle, where he could rest and continue to become a good dragon. He was accepted because of his powers and knowledge of the arcane, but even if he was being used, he really didn’t care. 

He was calm, was content there, and one day, must to his surprise, Sophie arrived one day, also looking for a home of her own. 

She was beautiful, but even if she had still held the wizened old form of the crone she had been cursed into being, he still would have thrown himself at her feet and begged her to stay. Begged her to take him back, to at least talk to him, to forgive him for his transgressions against her. 

Queen Tamora offered her a room to stay in for the night, and she accepted. And the two of them spent the entire night talking, discussing life and where it had taken them to end up here, and by the time the sun rose she was in no state to travel. So she stayed another night, but the same thing happened. Again and again and again this happened, until he finally asked if she truly was, in fact, only staying because she was tired. 

She admitted that she wasn’t, and so she became a permanent member of the clan- and a permanent member of her heart. Because even though she was still angry, and it would take years before their relationship could be simple and comfortable and love, he would take her anger, would take her hate, would take whatever she gave if she would just stay. And she did. 

She stayed, and the two of them, together with Yuko and eventually little Rapunzel, helped to make the clan a little bit better with their magic, every day that they could. It was hard, after the plague struck- with so many gone, their one proud clan decimated by the disease, it was hard to keep things go. To keep their spirits up. But they tried, tried as hard as they could, and eventually, as the clan grew once more, felt calm once again.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	24. Yuna

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=3948743)   


She was the keeper of the dead. 

It wasn’t the more glorious of jobs- spending her days caring for the deceased, making sure their bodies stayed in the ground and their souls passed on to whatever awaited for them beyond this life. It was quiet, a peaceful life, for the most part. Occasionally she and Tidus would have to drive off someone who had come to claim some of the treasures the departed had been buried with. Occasionally she would have to perform the rituals that would send the souls on their way, her complicated dance pulling upon them so they obeyed her command, sending them off to where they were destined to go. 

She had been chosen for this job because of her love to dance, because she had been one of the few able to master the steps and phrases and songs that went along with the sending. It was not a job she would have accepted on her own, not at all, but it was a burden she wore proudly. 

But she had Tidus, her love and guardian. When she was in the middle of a sending, absorbed in her dancing, he protected her. He made sure she was safe, and when she was able to focus on the world of the living, he made sure she wasn’t alone. He was always by her side, always nearby, and even when they were separated, they were together. 

They lived at the edge of the clan- the burial grounds couldn’t be left, couldn’t be abandoned, but they also couldn’t be too close to the clan itself, or risk angering the spirits. The guards stopped by every few hours on their rounds, making sure everything was going find- something they appreciated, being able to hear from members of the clan. Being able to catch up on the on goings: the new laws laid by the Queen, what trouble their Princess had gotten up to, whether or not there had been any rumors of war nearby. A nice part of the day, able to spend a few hours wasted when all was quiet. 

Occasionally they were able to even enter the clan proper, able to meet up with everyone else and see their friends and loved one. Able to participate in the family they had become accepted into, though that rare. 

The souls and the dead were her concern, the concern she would care for until her apprentice had been found and she could take her own rest. But for now, she was the keeper of the dead.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	25. Tidus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=3965458)   


He was a ghost. Born of the dreams of spirits, made real through their powers. He had been brought to this world to protect Yuna from the souls that threatened to do her harm, and to ensure she could serve her purpose as a sender of souls. 

He actually kind of hated it? 

It was weird- even as he was real he didn’t exist, spending his time walking between the worlds of life and dreams. Sometimes he couldn’t be sure if he was awake or asleep, the nature of his existence tearing him apart. It was painful sometimes, trying to pull himself back together into an existence, but still he did. 

He loved Yuna, he truly, honestly did, and so did it for her. 

He took simple pleasures in his life, when he could- when he had some free time he would play ball with some of the other dragons in the clan. Enjoyed swimming through the rivers and streams nearby, playing with the children when they came to him. He found comfort in the simple things, the little things available to him, and so drove away the pain as best as he could. 

He loved life, loved living, and loved Yuna. Loved her more than anything he could imagine. Was willing to continue to exist just for her. 

He had to go away for a while- it hurt, leaving, hurt more than he had known it could, but he had to. If he hadn’t… 

But she brought him back. Called for the spirits to return him to her, and so he lived. 

It still hurt, living. He still walked that strange place between life and dreams, could still feel himself being pulled apart by the duality of his existence, but he didn’t care. 

He had her and he had life, and so he glad to live. Live and continue to be her protector as she sent the souls of the dead along their way.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	26. Aeron

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=11040502)   


He was her knight. He was her hunter. He was the dragon who went out each morning to kill the beasts that needed to die, harvesting their hearts and collecting them in his bag. The bag that had once been white, as white as the fur that covered her, but it had long since been dyed red, red from the blood that had leaked from the hearts of the beasts Aeron slayed so Elena could eat. Could eat and keep her semi-dragon form, could fight off the curse that had plagued her. 

He disliked it, disliked killing and fighting, but unless he went out and gathered the hearts she needed to hold on until a boss heart could be brought to her, who would? Who would help her fight, who would help her retain her mind, who would help keep her sane? 

It was a disgusting task, one that Aeron despised doing, but at the end of the day, when he returned with a bag full of beast hearts, when his beloved Elena looked up at him with blood stained lips and bits of flesh between her teeth, when she thanked him for taking care of her, he was glad he did it. 

He wanted her saved, wanted her back, and was more than willing to do whatever he needed to do so.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	27. Elena

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=4943735)   


She was cursed. Cursed to spend her days slowly, ever so slowly, devolving into a monster. A beast. Her body twisted and torn apart by the creature inside of her- she was barely a dragon. Not anymore. 

And the only way to reverse the curse, to heal her back into something that resembled dragon-kind, was for her to devour the hearts of the beastclan. The normal monster’s hearts only turned back the clock a little bit for her, not enough to return her to her true form, but enough to keep her from fully devolving. Enough to help her keep herself alive, keep herself real, keep herself from fully transforming. 

But the only thing that could truly restore her were the hearts of the boss monsters that roamed through the world. A heart from each of them would heal her, would restore her to her former beauty, but until then? 

Until then she stayed in the garden.

Queen Tamora had had a home made for her, in one of the gardens that laid within a closed off section of the canyons, where two formations had come together to become one. There was no way in, no way out, except through the lair itself, through a pair of door always kept locked. 

She was there to both keep herself and others alive. Alone, in her solitude, she was less of a threat to others. She when lashed out, unable to keep herself in check, there was no one there for her to hurt. And the flowers she grew were beautiful, helped to keep her calm- even in the worst of her fits, the flowers helped. And alone, no one could hurt her. They couldn’t find her, harm her, couldn’t do anything to her. 

She was alone. Except for Aeron. Except for her love. 

He was the one who sent out to get her the hearts, who brought with him baskets of normal beastclan hearts for her to devour when the boss hearts were unavailable. He was the one who dedicated himself to helping her, keeping her alive and sane and herself, who threw himself daily into his task. 

He was the one who gave her hope, and that was perhaps what she needed the most. Hope that she would live, hope that the curse would be broken, hope that she would one day be herself again. 

But, until then, she grew her flowers and waited in her loneliness, waiting for the day she had devoured a boss heart from every single one of them and could again become herself.

(Original Pre-Plague Dragon)


	28. Joxer

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31023570)   


His father a warlord who only lived for the next fight, his mother a…lovely female who lifted her tail and shared a nest with any male who came by, Joxer had only one goal in life: to become the best warrior in the world. To sweep across the world and gain amazing renown, to rule the universe with an iron grip, for his name to pass into history and be remembered for thousands of years to come. 

Unfortunately, as much as he desired this dream, it was never to be. Because Joxer, as hard as he tried, was both a wimp and a pushover, and could barely keep his feet under him while walking, much less while fighting. Hatchlings could knock him out without breaking a sweat, and against real warriors? He never stood a chance. 

But that didn’t keep Joxer from trying. Jumping from warlord to warlord, pledging himself to leader after leader, hoping that the experience would eventually teach him to fight, Joxer just kept trying. He threw himself into every battle, into every task assigned to him…and found himself utterly incompetent at them all. 

Camp cook? Everyone had food poisoning by the end of the third day, and he barely avoided being killed by the poor few who had the strength to stand. Familiar tender? It only took a week before the familiars escaped their pens, creating havoc through the lair as the panicked creatures destroyed everything in their path as they tried to run away from him. Weapon keeper? He broke swords and armor almost faster than the blacksmiths could fix them. Fighter? He was a complete waste on the battlefield, and often injured his comrades more than he actually fought the enemy. 

The only thing he succeeded at was being the fool, the entertainment, his good singing voice and his inability to remain upright for more than a few minutes apparently hilarious. But those were the roles he refused, those were the war bands he often left, and he found himself wandering more than he was part of a clan. 

It was just as he was being driven out (he hadn’t meant to stab the warlord’s son with his nose. He’d tripped) that he met Xena and Gabrielle. And utterly, entirely fell in love with the princess. 

Joxer knew he was dumb, incredibly incredibly dumb, but he wasn’t stupid. He immediately recognized Xena, and feared her. She was on the road to being good, yes, but the ex-warlord’s temper (and tendency to lash out even at those she was helping) were legendary. So he feared her and treated her with the respect she deserved. And when he found out Gabrielle was the princess of her clan, he treated her with all the respect and grace he had (at least, until she told him to cut it out). And he knew. From the moment he saw them, he knew just how in love they were with each other. They might have not realized it yet, but he saw the look in their eyes, and he knew. 

They would realize it one day, understand just how in love they were, and their love story would be the greatest the world had ever seen.

But he was not a smart man, and even as he knew they were in love, even as he recognized that Xena would kill to protect Gabrielle, he still fell in love with the princess. 

He tried to keep it in, at first. They were his friends, had allowed him to join them on their travels across Sorienth, and he didn’t want to break their trust. But as time went on and they never took the step from friends to lovers, he couldn’t help it. Perhaps he could be Gabrielle’s love instead. 

Just like everything else, he utterly failed. 

Every time he tried to woo her, the words never came out. His gifts were destroyed by his own actions. The romantic gestures he planned fell apart, and even worse, Gabrielle never seemed to notice. 

But when she finally did, she shut him down. Hard. 

He loved him as a friend, as a brother, but her heart belonged to Xena. It always had, it always would, and there was nothing that would be able to change that. 

He left them after that. Not permanently- they still met up every once in a while, when fate allowed their roads to cross. But it was too hard for him to stay and watch as his friends fell in love. He was grateful, though. During their time together, when he hadn’t been falling head over heels for Gabrielle, Xena had trained him. Helped him figure out himself, helped him learn how to fight, had taught him to be better. 

His dream of being a warlord like his father fell to the wayside, and instead he joined their path. He found for the little ones, for the small people who couldn’t fight for themselves, and he actually loved it. He wasn’t the best, but it seemed like things tended to work out in the end (even if he did need to be saved quite a few times over the years). He saved people, he helped everyone, and it just worked. 

He was a warrior for good, and life was good. 

His feelings for Gabrielle never truly faded, and every time he saw her, they just flared up again. Even though she changed, over the years. The little princess he had fallen in love with became a hardened warrior, became a fighter for justice, and she was very little like how she had once been. But still he loved her, as much as he could, even though she didn’t love him. 

Because he had been right, all those years ago. When Xena and Gabrielle realized just how in love they were, it was a love story like the world had never known. 

So even though his feelings never faded, he never acted on them again. He loved his friends, was glad they had found each other, and if he had to stand on the sideline with a broken heart so they could be happy, he would. 

He started traveling with them again, when they eventually met up after a long separation. It was easier to be around them, though he had to laugh- they were clearly together, even if they were trying to play it off as if they were still just friends. To spare him, perhaps. But it was unnecessary, because he was honestly happy for them. They were good together, and so even though it hurt, when he walked away to go get some firewood and would come back to see them in each other’s arms, he was happy. 

They ended up settling down, after a while, the three of them. Xena and Gabrielle had traveled the width and breadth of the world, had helped thousands, and were tired. Apparently their last adventure had almost cost them dearly, and they were weary of the fight. So, they went home, and Joxer went with them. He was welcomed into the clan as Gabrielle’s valued friend, and while the Princess’ Guard seemed to dislike him, he was still considered a part of the family. 

He was given a home, and his training continued, amongst the other warriors in the clan. And once again, Joxer found himself comfortable in the way his life had gone. He had to watch as his friends lived their lives, occasionally including him when they could spare the time, but for the most part, he truly was happy. 

Even if he wasn't smart, wasn't that strong, still wasn't that useful, still, he was happy.


	29. Zeus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366488)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of the Sky and King of the Gods

Zeus was the first of the GODS and a very imposing figure. Often referred to as the “Father of Gods and men”, he is a sky god who controls lightning (often using it as a weapon) and thunder. Zeus is king of Mount Olympus, the home of Greek gods, where he rules the world and imposes his will onto gods and mortals alike.

Zeus was the last child of the titans Cronus and Rhea, and avoided being swallowed by his father (who had been told one of his children would overthrow him) when Rhea sought help from Uranus and Ge. Cronus had previously swallowed DEMETER, HESTIA, HERA, HADES and POSEIDON.

Along with Hades and Poseidon, Zeus shared the rule of the world and became king of Olympus as the children of Cronus were filled with admiration for their noble brother and sided with him against their unjust father – even following Zeus into The Battle of the Titans.

Zeus mated with many goddesses and mortals (including Aegina, Alcmena, Calliope, Cassiopea, Demeter, Dione, Europa, Io, Leda, Leto, Mnemosyne, Niobe, Persephone and Semele) but was married to his sister Hera – goddess of marriage and monogamy.

Roles and responsibilities of Zeus

As the king of the gods and sitting atop the golden throne on Olympus, Zeus was revered by all. Mortal kings would boast that they were descendants of Zeus. With this supreme power came a number of roles and responsibilities. Hesiod described Zeus as a god who “brought peace in place of violence” and referred to him as the “lord of justice“.

Though he is most well known as god of the sky and thunder, Zeus was the supreme cultural embodiment of Greek religious beliefs. He had many epithets (titles) that emphasized different aspects of complete and wide ranging authority.

  * Zeus Olympios emphasized Zeus’s kingship over the gods.  

  * Zeus Xenios, Philoxenon or Hospites: Zeus was the patron of hospitality (xenia) and guests, ready to avenge any wrong done to a stranger.  

  * Zeus Horkios: Zeus he was the keeper of oaths. Exposed liars were made to dedicate a statue to Zeus, often at the sanctuary of Olympia.  

  * Zeus Agoraeus: Zeus watched over business at the agora and punished dishonest traders.  

  * Zeus Aegiduchos or Aegiochos: Zeus was the bearer of the Aegis with which he strikes terror into the impious and his enemies.  

  * Zeus Tallaios (“solar Zeus”): the Zeus that was worshiped in Crete.  

  * Zeus Geōrgos (“earth worker”, “farmer”), the god of crops and harvest, in Athens.  

  * Astrapios (“lightninger”)  

  * Brontios (“thunderer”)  

  * Appearance and personality of Zeus



According to “Work and Days” by Hesiod (line 59), Zeus was a carefree god who loved to laugh out loud. He was regarded as wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make.

He was also easily angered which could be very destructive. He has previously hurled lightning bolts and caused violent storms that wreaked havoc on earth.

Zeus fell in love easily and had many affairs with various women, however he would severely punish anybody who attempted to escort/fall in love with his wife Hera – like the giant Porphyrion who took a lightning bolt from the engraged god for lusting after his wife (albeit with a little help from the love god Eros).

He is often described as a strong, imposing man with a regal body and long, often curly, hair. He usually had a short beard or scruff and carried his trusty thunderbolt at all times.

Facts about Zeus:

  * Zeus became the ruler of heaven and earth after a revolt against his father, Kronos. In his position as king of the gods, Zeus had to play mediator when other the immortals were mad at each other.  

  * He is the father of Athena, who is said to have sprung from his head. She was his favorite child, with whom he shared the thunderbolt and aegis.
  * Hades and Poseidon were his brothers.
  * His wife Hera was also his sister.  

  * Zeus was not a faithful husband; he was known for having many affairs with mortal women.  

  * Zeus fathered Hercules, the famous Greek hero, by deception. He disguised himself as Amphitryon, Alcmene’s husband, in order to have sexual relations with her.  

  * Zeus fathered Perseus by impregnating Danaë. When he did so, he appeared to her in the form of a golden shower.  

  * The name Zeus means “bright” or “sky.”  

  * His weapon of choice was the thunderbolt, made for him by the MYTHICAL CREATURES, the Cyclops.  

  * Zeus, more recently known for causing thunder and lightning, was once a rain-god. He was always associated with the weather in some form.  

  * The Zeus described in Homer was not an extension of nature; instead, he had a standard of right and wrong that made him more relatable to mankind.  

  * Before monarchies were rendered obsolete, Zeus protected the king and his family.  

  * Hesiod calls Zeus the “the lord of justice.” Perhaps because of this, he was reluctant to join a side in the Trojan War. He preferred the Trojans, but he wanted to stay neutral because Hera preferred the Greeks. She was insufferable when he opposed her openly.  

  * Metis, the goddess of prudence, was Zeus’s first love.  

  * Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia are the children of Zeus and Hera.  

  * His union with Leto brought forth the twins Apollo and Artemis.  

  * When he seduced the Spartan queen Leda, Zeus transformed himself into a beautiful swan, and two sets of twins were born.  

  * When Zeus had an affair with Mnemosyne, he coupled with her for nine nights. This scenario produced nine daughters, who became known as the Muses.  

  * Zeus punished men by giving them women.  

  * Zeus’s servants were named Force and Violence.




	30. Hera

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29425653)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of Marriage and Queen of Olympus

Hera is the Queen of the GODS and is the wife and sister of ZEUS in the Olympian pantheon. She is known for being the Goddess of Marriage & Birth. Despite being the Goddess of Marriage, she was known to be jealous and vengeful towards the many lovers and offspring of her husband Zeus.

She was also known to turn her anger towards mortals who crossed her as well – for example, Paris, who chose APHRODITE over Hera as the most beautiful goddess at the marriage of the sea-nymph Thetis to a mortal called Peleus.

In images and statues, Hera is portrayed as being majestic and solemn, crowned with the polos – a high cylindrical crown worn by many of the Great Goddesses.

Even before her marriage with Zeus, she ruled over the heavens and the Earth. This is one reason why she is referred to as ‘The Queen of Heaven’ – ruling over Mount Olympus where all the gods and goddesses live.

Even the great Zeus feared his wife Hera. Her never-ending hatred of Heracles, the illegitimate son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene stemmed from his continuous adultery and, amongst other things, Hera raised a storm at sea in order to drive Heracles out of his course to kill him.

Zeus became so angry that he hung her in the clouds by a golden chain, and attached heavy anvils to her feet. Her son Hephaestus tried to release his mother from her humiliating position, for which Zeus threw him out of heaven, and his leg was broken by the fall.

Facts about Hera:

  * Hera was Queen of the Olympian gods.  

  * She was the wife and sister of Zeus.  

  * Hera was a jealous wife, and she fought with Zeus frequently over his extramarital affairs and illegitimate children. For this reason, Hera was known for punishing offending husbands.  

  * She was the protector of women, presiding over marriages and births.  

  * While Hera was worshipped in all parts of Greece, temples were erected in her honor at Argos and Salmos.  

  * The peacock was sacred to her.  

  * Hera had few, if any, redeeming qualities. She never forgot an injury.  

  * The Titans Ocean and Tethys brought her up.  

  * Hera is often described as “cow-faced,” although she was also called the chief among the immortals in beauty.  

  * Though she may have been physically attractive, her vindictive personality makes her less so.  

  * The Trojan War would have ended in peace, but Hera had a vested interest in its outcome and influenced Zeus to either switch sides or remain neutral.  

  * Hera had no concept of justice when angry or jealous; she could not forgive the women with whom Zeus had sexual relations—even if they were innocent of wrongdoing.  

  * Ilithyia, a daughter of Hera’s, assisted women in childbirth.  

  * In the story of the Quest of the Golden Fleece, Hera was a gracious protector of the heroes.  

  * Paris awarded Aphrodite the Golden Apple over Athena and Hera.  

  * Hera punished one of Zeus’s love interests, Io, by putting her in the charge of Argus. Argus had a hundred eyes and kept vigilant watch over her so that Zeus could not come to her aid.  

  * Hera turned Callisto into a bear because Zeus fell in love with her.  

  * Hera arranged the death of Semele, another of Zeus’s mortal conquests, although she did not directly cause it.  

  * Hera never forgave Hercules for being Zeus’s son, but when Hercules died and was taken to heaven, he and Hera reconciled. While in heaven, Hercules married Hera’s daughter Hebe.  

  * In some stories, it was at Hera’s orders that Dionysus was torn to pieces. He was brought back to life, and it is this resurrection that was celebrated in theatres.  





	31. Hades

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26670267)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of the Dead and King of the Underworld

Hades was the god of the underworld and the name eventually came to also describe the home of the dead as well. He was the oldest male child of Cronus and Rhea.

Hades and his brothers ZEUS and POSEIDON defeated their father and the Titans to end their reign, claiming rulership over the cosmos. The agreed to split their rule with Zeus becoming god of the skies, Poseidon god of the sea and Hades god of the underworld.

He was later known to the Greeks as Plouton, which the Romans pluralized to Pluto. The god of the underworld was married to Persephone, the daughter of DEMETER, whom he obtained through deception after abducting her to the underworld and giving her the forbidden fruit pomegranate, forcing her to remain in the underworld with him for one third of each year.

Facts about Hades:

  * Hades is best known as the ruler of the underworld. It became his dominion after he and his brothers drew lots for their share of the universe.  

  * According to Iliad, Hades’ dominion lies between secret places of the earth. According to the Odyssey, one must cross Ocean to get there.  

  * Though Hades supervised the dead assigned to his realm, he was not one of its judges. Three demi-gods served that purpose instead.  

  * Hades was depicted as stern and unyielding, unmoved by prayer and sacrifice.  

  * Hades had a cap or helmet that made its wearer invisible.  

  * His wife was Persephone, Demeter’s only daughter, whom he kidnapped and made his queen.  

  * He was also called the God of Wealth or “the rich one” because he possessed the precious metals of the earth.  

  * Pirithoüs, friend of Theseus, detrmined to have Persephone (the most carefully guarded lady in all the universe) as his bride. To this end, the two friends journeyed to the underworld, but Hades thwarted their plan. He invited them to sit on the Chair of Forgetfulness, which cause its occupant to forget everything. Hercules rescued Theseus, but the King of the Dead held Pirithoüs there for trying to steal his queen.  

  * Cerberus was a three-headed dog who guarded his realm; the ferryman Charon was another one of the underworld’s attendees.  

  * Though Hades is the King of the Dead, he should not be confused with Death itself, which is personified by Thanatos.  

  * Cronus and Rhea were his parents.  

  * Poseidon and Zeus were his brothers.  

  * Hades rarely left the underworld. His presence was not welcomed by men or by gods.  

  * Hades took pride in collecting “subjects” for his kingdom and was disinclined to let anyone leave.  

  * His dominion was separated from the land of the living by the following rivers: Styx, Lethe, Acheron, Phlegethon, and Cocytus.  

  * Hades employed the Furies, who were responsible for torturing the guilty.  

  * Hades is described by some sources as the god of the earth’s fertility.  

  * The narcissus and the cypress are sacred to him.  

  * In his kingdom, Hades sat on a throne made of ebony and carried a scepter.  

  * Hades was known for his involvement with Sisyphus, the man condemned to the underworld to forever roll a boulder uphill. According to legend, Hades allowed Sisyphus to return to earth long enough to arrange his own funeral.  





	32. Poseidon

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29632740)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of the Sea

Poseidon was god of the sea, earthquakes, storms, and horses and is considered one of the most bad-tempered, moody and greedy Olympian gods. He was known to be vengeful when insulted – for example when he brutally blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus because his father, Odysseus, had insulted him.

He is the son of Cronus and Rhea and was swallowed by his father along with HADES, DEMETER, HESTIA and HERA. However, in some folklore stories it is believed that Poseidon, like ZEUS, was not swallowed by Cronus because his mother Rhea who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which was devoured by Cronos instead.

After the gods defeated the Titans, the world was divided into three and Zeus, Hades and Poseidon drew straws to decide which they would rule. Zeus drew the skies, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the seas. There is only one reference to this divide, by Home in the Iliad.

Facts about Poseidon:

  * Poseidon was most notably the God of the sea and the protector of all waters; sailors relied upon him for safe passage.  

  * Poseidon was allotted his dominion after the fall of the Titans.  

  * Zeus and Hades were his brothers.  

  * It stands to reason that, because of his influence on the waters, he was worshipped in connection with navigation.  

  * Poseidon was worshipped as a fertility god.  

  * His name is Greek for “husband.”  

  * He wielded the trident or three-pronged spear, and this image of him is reflected in art.  

  * Poseidon could strike the ground with his trident to produce an earthquake. This earned him the nickname “Earth-shaker.”  

  * Poseidon possessed a palace, made of gems and coral, located on the ocean floor. He was at Mount Olympus more often than his palace.  

  * Poseidon was moody by nature: his temperament was unstable at best, and his emotional fluctuations often resulted in violence.  

  * He was similar to Zeus in that he liked to exert power over women and flaunt his rugged masculinity. At times, however, his efforts were appreciated. Poseidon saved Amymone from a satyr.  

  * His primary means of transportation was a chariot pulled by horses.  

  * Poseidon assisted the Greeks in the Trojan war. However, Zeus commanded him to withdraw from the battlefield, and he reluctantly obeyed.  

  * His grudge against Odysseus is one theme in the Odyssey.  

  * Poseidon was the husband of Amphitrite, a Nereid. Their union produced Triton, who was half-human, half-fish.  

  * He and Medusa conceived the flying horse, Pegasus – one of MANY MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES.  

  * He was also the biological father of Orion, Polyphemus, Pelias, and many others.  

  * One of his most notable dalliances involved his sister Demeter. She refused his advances by turning herself into a mare. He then transformed into a stallion and pursued her. Their relations produced a horse, Arion.  

  * He and Athena competed for possession of the city of Athens. To sway the people in his favor, Poseidon made it spring at the Acropolis. Athena, on the other hand, gave them the olive tree. With it, she won the contest.  

  * Despite Poseidon’s connection to chariots and ships, Athena was the first to make one of each.




	33. Athena

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366515)  


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War:

Athena, also referred to as Athene, is a very important goddess of many things. She is goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.

She is known most specifically for her strategic skill in warfare and is often portrayed as companion of heroes and is the patron goddess of heroic endeavour.

Athena was born from ZEUS after he experienced an enormous headache and she sprang fully grown and in armour from his forehead. She has no mother but one of the most commonly cited stories is that Zeus lay with Metis, the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, and then swallowed her whole as he feared she will give birth to a child more powerful than him because of a prophecy – but she had already conceived.

Facts about Athena:

  * Athena was the Goddess of War, the female counterpart of Ares.  

  * She was the daughter of Zeus; no mother bore her. She sprang from Zeus’s head, full-grown and clothed in armor.  

  * She was Zeus’s favorite child.  

  * According to Homer’s account in the Iliad, Athena was a fierce and ruthless warrior. In the Odyssey, she was angry and unforgiving. In the course of the Trojan War, she struck Ajax with madness.  

  * Known for protecting civilized life, she was the Goddess of the City.  

  * According to some sources, Athena was praised for her compassion and generosity.  

  * Athena was a patron of the arts and crafts, especially when it came to spinning and weaving.  

  * In later poetry, Athena embodied wisdom and rational thought.  

  * Athena served as a guardian of Athens, where the Parthenon served as her temple.  

  * Zeus trusted her to wield the aegis and his thunderbolt.  

  * Her most important festival was the Panathenaea, which was celebrated annually at Athens.  

  * She is referred to in poetry as “gray-eyed.”  

  * The owl was her bird, and the olive tree was hers.  

  * She turned the weaver ARACHNE into a spider after the mortal woman insulted Athena and the Olympian gods.  

  * Athena reared Ericthonius, son of Hephaestus. He was half man, half serpent. Athena put the infant in a chest and gave it to others to watch over, forbidding them to open it. When they did, she drove them mad as punishment.  

  * She is one of three virgin goddesses; the other two were Hestia and Artemis.  

  * Athena invented the flute, but she never played it.  

  * Hermes and Athena went to the aid of Perseus in his quest to kill Medusa. Looking directly at Medusa would turn any man to stone, so Athena provided Perseus with her polished shield. Using it, he was able to see Medusa as if looking in a mirror. Again, Athena guided his hand as he cut off Medusa’s head with his sword.  

  * Hera and Athena fought against Paris in the Trojan War since he had awarded the Golden Apple to Aphrodite.  

  * The sacred image of Athena, a wood statue called the Palladium, protected the Trojans as long as they had it.  

  * Odysseus and Diomedes executed a plan to steal the image, greatly encouraging the Greeks in their hopes to end the long-suffering war.  

  * Athena helped Hercules when, as a part of his penance, he was required to drive away the Stymphalian birds. She got them moving, and Hercules shot them.  





	34. Ares

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366509)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee.

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy.

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of War:

Ares is the god of war, one of the Twelve Olympian gods and the son of ZEUS and HERA. In literature Ares represents the violent and physical untamed aspect of war, which is in contrast to ATHENA who represents military strategy and generalship as the goddess of intelligence.

Although Ares embodied the physical aggression necessary for success in war, the Greeks were ambivalent toward him because he was a dangerous, overwhelming force that was insatiable in battle.

He is well known as the lover of APHRODITE, who was married to HEPHAESTUS, and though Ares plays a limited role in literature, when he does appear in myths it is typically facing humiliation. For example, one famous story of Ares and Aphrodite exposes them to ridicule by the gods when her husband Hephaestus trapped them both naked in a bed using a clever device he made.

The Roman counterpart to Ares was MARS, who was known as a father to the Roman people. Because of this, he was a less aggressive and physical form, revealing a more calm and understanding demeanour.

Facts about Ares:

  * Ares was most notably referred to as the God of War; he represented the unpleasant aspects of battle.

  * He was the son of Zeus and Hera, both of whom hated him (according to Homer).

  * Ares was most often characterized as a coward in spite of his connection to war; he responded to even the slightest injury with outrage.

  * According to some sources, Ares was described as Aphrodite’s lover and was held in contempt by her husband, Hephaestus. The affair between them was not a secret among the Olympians.

  * Ares was never very popular—either with men or the other immortals. As a result, his worship in Greece was not substantial or widespread.

  * He came from Thrace, home of a fierce people in the northeast of Greece.

  * His bird was the vulture.

  * The Amazons, warrior women, were his daughters. Their mother was a peace-loving nymph named Harmony.

  * Otus and Ephialtes, twin giants, imprisoned Ares for a lunar year by binding him with chains of brass; he was eventually rescued by Hermes.

  * Ares always took the side of Aphrodite in the Trojan War. He fought for Hector (a Trojan) until a Greek warrior pierced him with a spear that was guided by Athena. He then departed the battlefield in order to complain to Zeus about Athena’s violence.

  * Harmonia, Goddess of Harmony, was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.

  * Eros (more commonly known as Cupid) was also the child of Ares and Aphrodite.

  * Tereus, a son of Ares, was known to have inherited his father’s abhorrent qualities.

  * Ares was the biological father of at least three of Hercules’ enemies: Cycnus, Lycaon, and Diomedes.

  * Ares had a sister named Eris, who was the Goddess of Discord.

  * Hebe, another sister of his, was the Goddess of Youth.

  * Ares rarely figures into mythology stories, but when he does, he usually suffers some form of humiliation.

  * Ares was associated with two other war deities: Enyalius and Enyo.

  * Ares had many offspring, which is characteristic of nearly all of the notable Greek gods. He conceived more mortal children than divine children.

  * In art, Ares is generally depicted wearing a spear and a helmet.





	35. Artemis

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366499)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, the Moon, Archery

Artemis is known as the goddess of the hunt and is one of the most respected of all the ancient Greek deities. It is thought that her name, and even the goddess herself, may even be pre-Greek. She was the daughter of ZEUS, king of the gods, and the Titaness Leto and she has a twin brother, the god APOLLO.

Not only was Artemis the goddess of the hunt, she was also known as the goddess of wild animals, wilderness, childbirth and virginity. Also, she was protector of young children and was know to bring and relieve disease in women. In literature and art she was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrow.

Artemis was a virgin and drew the attention and interest of many gods and men. However, it was only her hunting companion, Orion, that won her heart. It is believed that Orion was accidentally killed either by Artemis herself or by Gaia, the primordial goddess of the earth.

In one version of the stories of Adonis – who was a late addition to Greek mythology during the Hellenistic period – Artemis sent a wild boar to kill Adonis after he continued to boast that he was a far greater hunter than her.

Facts about Artemis:

  * Artemis was daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo.  

  * According to one source, Artemis was born a day before Apollo. She then served as a guardian to him, which provided a context for her desire to protect and nurture.  

  * She was primarily a virgin huntress, goddess of wildlife and patroness of hunters.  

  * The bear was sacred to her.  

  * She guarded her virginity carefully. Actaeon and Orion tried to dishonor or rape her, but anyone who threatened her purity met with a violent end.  

  * She was an important goddess in the lives of women, especially when it came to marriage and young creatures.  

  * When one of her nymphs was seduced by Zeus, Artemis transformed her into a bear and then killed her.  

  * She was sometimes associated with the goddess of the moon.  

  * Artemis acted out in anger whenever her wishes were disobeyed, especially if anyone transgressed against the animals that were sacred to her.  

  * She punished Agamemnon, for example, when he killed a stag in her sacred grove.  

  * Artemis appealed to Zeus to grant her eternal virginity.  

  * Apollo and Artemis teamed up to kill the children of Niobe. Niobe bragged that she had birthed more children than Leto (the mother of Apollo and Artemis). The twins then hunted her children and killed them with their bows and arrows.  

  * Artemis was worshipped widely in Greece but only as a secondary deity.  

  * A temple built in her honor became one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”  

  * At least two festivals were celebrated in her honor of Artemis: Brauronia and the festival of Artemis Orthia.  

  * Homer referred to her as a mistress of wild animals.  

  * Artemis spent most of her time roaming the forests with her nymphs. She was described as both hunting animals and protecting them.  

  * She armed herself with a bow and arrows made by Hephaestus and Cyclops.  

  * In art, Artemis is often accompanied by a stag or hunting dog.  

  * She is the protector of chastity and a nurturer of the young.  





	36. Apollo

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366461)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of the Sun, the Light, the Music and the Prophecy

Apollo is one of the most complex and important gods, and is the god of many things, including: music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light and knowledge. He is the son of ZEUS and the Titan Leto, and was born in the Greek island of Delos, along with his older twin sister ARTEMIS – goddess of the hunt.

Apollo is the ideal of the kouros, which means he has a beardless, athletic and youthful appearance. He is also an oracular god as a patron of Delphi and could predict prophecy through the Delphic Oracle Pythia.

Both medicine and healing are associated with Apollo and were thought to sometimes be mediated through his son, Asclepius. However, Apollo could also bring ill-health and deadly plague.

Apollo also became associated with dominion over colonists, and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. He was the leader of the Muses (also known as Apollon Musegetes) and was director of their choir – functioning as the patron god of music and poetry.

The god Hermes create the lyre for Apollo and this instrument became a known attribute for him. When hymns were sung to Apollo they were called paeans

At the drinking parties held on Olympus, Apollo accompanied the Muses on his cithara, while the young goddesses led the dance. Both Leto and Zeus were proud of their son, who was radiant with grace and beauty.

Facts about Apollo:

  * Apollo was the son of Leto and Zeus. He was born on the island of Delos.  

  * He and his twin sister Artemis, also an Olympian, shared an aptitude for archery.  

  * His forename, Phoebus, means “bright” or “pure” and connects him to his grandmother, the Titan Phoebe.  

  * Apollo, a masterful magician, was known for delighting Olympus with tunes played on his golden lyre. His lyre, a stringed instrument that resembles a small harp, was made by Hermes.  

  * The nine Muses were companions of his; they were goddesses known for inspiring art and music.  

  * Apollo taught men the art of medicine, so he is often referred to as “The Healer.”  

  * Apollo is alternately referred to as the God of Light and the God of Truth.  

  * Apollo served as an intermediary between the gods and men.  

  * Because of his truthfulness and integrity, he was granted the gift of prophecy and oracles.  

  * Apollo defended the oracle at Delphi against Hercules, who was angry at the priestess for having denied him a prophecy.  

  * Apollo killed a serpent named Python as a result of a contest; it was conquered by a single arrow.  

  * According to Homer’s Illiad, Apollo played a major part in the Trojan War. He infected the Greek encampment with a plague and aided Paris in killing Achilles.  

  * Ironically, Apollo was also a purifier, able to cleanse even those stained with the blood of their relatives.  

  * The dolphin and swan were the animals sacred to him.  

  * The laurel, used in Greece as a status symbol, was Apollo’s tree.  

  * Apollo accidentally killed his dearest companion, Hyacinthus, in a discus throwing contest.  

  * Apollo is credited with killing the Cyclops in retaliation for arming Zeus with the thunderbolt.  

  * He had many love affairs with both mortals and goddesses. Perhaps the most famous of these women was a mortal named Hecuba, who was married to the King of Troy. The union between Apollo and Hecuba produced a son named Troilus.  

  * Apollo’s affections were rejected by Cassandra, yet another mortal, so he punished her by arranging it so that her prophecies would never be believed.  

  * Asclepius is probably Apollo’s most well-known son, although he had many offspring.  





	37. Aphrodite

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366469)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of Love, Beauty & Eternal Youth:

Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Beauty and according to Hesiod’s Theogony, she was born from the foam in the waters of Paphos, on the island of Cyprus. She supposedly arose from the foam when the Titan Cronus slew his father Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea.

However, according to Homer, in Iliad, Aphrodite may instead be the daughter of ZEUS and Dione. As with so many Greek deities, there are many stories about the origins of the gods.

Many gods believed that her beauty was such that their rivalry over her would spark a war of the gods. Because of this, Zeus married Aphrodite to HEPHAESTUS – he wasn’t seen as a threat because of his ugliness and deformity.

Despite this marriage to Hephaestus, Aphrodite had many lovers. Her lovers include both gods and men – including the god ARES and the mortal Anchises. She also played a role in the story of Eros and Psyche in which admirers of Psyche neglected to worship Venus (Aphrodite) and instead worshipped her. For this, Aphrodite enlisted Eros (Cupid) to exact her revenge but the god of love instead falls in love with the girl.

Later, Aphrodite was both Adonis’s lover and his surrogate mother. This led to a feud with Persephone in which Zeus decreed Adonis should spend half of the year with Aphrodite and half of the year with Persephone.

Facts about Aphrodite:

  * Aphrodite was the goddess of fertility, love, and beauty.  

  * Two different stories explain the birth of Aphrodite. The first is simple: She was the child of Zeus and Dione.  

  * According to the second story, however, Aphrodite rose from the foam of the sea.  

  * Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus, but Aphrodite did not enter into this union of her own volition.  

  * She and Ares conceived Harmonia, who eventually married Herodotus.  

  * She was the mother of Hermaphroditus by Hermes.  

  * Aphrodite and her son Eros (Cupid) teamed up to cause Zeus to fall in love with a human named Europa.  

  * Aphrodite loved Adonis. She saw him when he was born and determined then that he should be hers. She assigned Persephone to his care, but Persephone fell in love with Adonis also and would not give him back. Finally, Zeus had to mediate. He judged that Adonis should spend half the year with each.  

  * Aphrodite used a swan-drawn car to glide easily through the air.  

  * Although Aphrodite and Hera were not friends, Hera went to the Goddess of Love for help as she endeavored to assist the heroes in their Quest of the Golden Fleece.  

  * Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena were the top three contenders for a gold apple marked “For the Fairest.” They asked Zeus to judge the contest, but he refused. Paris, son of the King of Troy, judged the contest instead. Each of the three goddesses promised him something in return; he chose Aphrodite as the winner of the apple. This story of the Judgment of Paris was considered to be the real reason behind the Trojan War.  

  * During the Trojan War, Aphrodite fought on the side of Paris.  

  * Aphrodite rescued Paris from Menelaus by enveloping him in a cloud and taking him back to Troy.  

  * Aphrodite owned a girdle that contained her enchantments; Hera borrowed it once to seduce Zeus in order to distract him from the Trojan War.  

  * Aphrodite gave Harmonia a necklace that brought disaster to a later generation.  

  * Prostitutes considered the Goddess of Love their patron.  

  * Aphrodite had a few mortal lovers. One of the most notable was the Trojan shepherd Anchises. The two of them conceived Aeneas.  

  * Corinth was the center of Aphrodite’s worship.  

  * Early Greek art depicted the goddess as nude.  

  * She was the model for the famous sculpture Venus de Milo.  

  * Aphrodite and Cupid initiated the love between Jason (hero of the Quest of the Golden Fleece) and the daughter of the Colchian King.  





	38. Hephaestus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366446)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.

* * *

Greek God of Fire and Metalworking:

Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. He was the son of ZEUS and HERA and married to APHRODITE by Zeus to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. He was a smithing god, making all of the weapons for Olympus and acting as a blacksmith for the gods.

He had his own palace on Olympus where he made many clever inventions and automatons of metal to work for him. Hephaestus’s ugly appearance was the reason Zeus chose him to marry Aphrodite, but despite this she had many affairs with both gods and men.

In one story, Hephaestus builds a tricky invention which catches Aphrodite laying with the ARES, the god of war, trapping them both in the bed to be laughed at and ridiculed by the other gods.

He is similar to ATHENA in his giving skill and help to mortals – in his case artists. It was believed that Hephaestus taught men the arts alongside Athena. However, he was also considered far inferior to that of the goddess of wisdom.

Facts about Hephaestus:

  * Hephaestus was known as the God of Fire.  

  * In some accounts, he was said to be the son of Zeus and Hera; in others, he was the son of Hera alone, conceived in order to get back at Zeus for bringing forth Athena.  

  * Hephaestus was the only ugly god among perfectly beautiful immortals.  

  * Hephaestus was born deformed and was cast out of heaven by one or both of his parents when they noticed that he was imperfect.  

  * He was the workman of the immortals: he made their dwellings, furnishings, and weapons.  

  * In his workshop, Hephaestus had assistants who were made out of gold and who helped him with his work.  

  * His forge or workshop was located under a volcano, and the work he did within it caused frequent eruptions.  

  * In most accounts, Aphrodite is named as his wife, although she was unfaithful to him (with Ares, for one). Theirs was an arranged marriage.  

  * Hephaestus was a patron of the arts.  

  * He was a kind and peace-loving god.  

  * In art, Hephaestus is usually depicted as bending over an anvil or walking with the assistance of a cane.  

  * He was worshipped primarily in Athens, where he had a temple.  

  * Hephaestus manufactured the aegis (or shield) that Athena is known for carrying.  

  * The arrows of Eros (known also as Cupid) were fashioned by Hephaestus as well.  

  * Hephaestus was the god of the ceremony when children were officially admitted to the city organization.  

  * According to a story told both by Homer and Hesiod, Hephaestus married Aglaia, one of the three Graces.  

  * Hephaestus was known for making a gold basket that Europa, daughter of the King of Sidon, used to gather flowers when she happened upon Zeus in the meadow.  

  * Hephaestus crafted the armor that Achilles wore in the Trojan War. The same arms, despite their connection to divinity, brought about the death of Ajax.  

  * Aphrodite gave Harmonia an extraordinary necklace made by Hephaestus. The piece of jewelry brought disaster to later generations.  

  * Erichthonius was the son of Hephaestus: he was half man, half serpent.




	39. Hermes

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29427357)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of Trade, Eloquence and Messenger of the Gods:

Hermes was one of the 12 Olympian Gods and was god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and border crossings, guide to the Underworld. He was the second youngest Olympian god and was the son of ZEUS and Maia, one of the seven Pleiades and daughter of the Titan Atlas.

As the god of boundaries and transitions, Hermes was known to be quick and cunning and had the ability to freely move between the mortal and divine worlds. It is this skill that made him a luck-bringing messenger to the gods and intercessor between mortals and the divine.

He is also the patron and protector of travelers, herdsmen, thieves, orators and wit, literature and poets, athletics and sports, invention and trade. In some myths Hermes is also depicted as a trickster where he would outwit the gods either for the good of humankind or for his own personal amusement and satisfaction.

Both Homer and Hesiod portrayed Hermes as the author of skilled or deceptive acts, and also as a benefactor of mortals.

Facts about Hermes:

  * Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia, one of the Pleiades.  

  * He primarily served as the herald or messenger of the gods.  

  * Hermes was the god of shepherds, land travel, and literature. More specifically, he was known as a patron of poetry.  

  * His interests were varied and widespread.  

  * In his role as herald, it also fell to him to conduct souls to Hades.  

  * As was the case with other gods, Hermes was known for abundant love affairs with mortals, goddesses, and nymphs.  

  * According to some sources, Hermes was associated with fertility and good fortune.  

  * Hermes is most often presented as a graceful youth, wearing a winged hat and winged sandals. This is how he appeared to Perseus when he and Athena arrived to help the hero kill Medusa.  

  * Hermes was considered a “trickster” due to his cunning and clever personality.  

  * Hermoea was the name given to the riotous festivals thrown in his honor.  

  * Hermes was born in a cave on a mountain in Arcadia; he was conceived and born within the course of one day.  

  * His son Pan was half man, half goat. Pan’s mother was named Dryope, and she was terrified of her son’s strange appearance.  

  * Abderus, another of Hermes’ sons, was a friend to Hercules. He met his fate when he was devoured by the Mares of Diomedes.  

  * Hermaphroditus (also known as Aphroditus) was an androgynous deity and the offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite.  

  * The tortoise is a symbol of Hermes.  

  * Hermes freed Io, one of Zeus’ lovers, from the giant Argus.  

  * Hermes talked the nymph Calypso into releasing Odysseus.  

  * Hermes played a part in the infamous love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. After Eurydice is granted one day on earth with her husband, it is Hermes who escorts her back to the underworld.  

  * He was a patron of thieves. On the day of his birth, Hermes stole Apollo’s cattle.  

  * He was the only one other than Hades and Persephone who was allowed to leave the underworld without consequence.  

  * He was the god of boundaries, both literal and figurative.  





	40. Dionysus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366534)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek God of Wine & the Grape Harvest:

Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre. He may have been worshipped as early as 1500-100BC by Mycenean Greeks according to very old scripts inscribed with his name.

Earlier images and descriptions of Dionysus depict him as a mature male, bearded and robed holding a fennel staff tipped with a pine-cone. However, in later images the god is show to be a beardless, sensuous, naked or semi-naked androgynous youth. He is described in literature as womanly or “man-womanish”.

He was the son of ZEUS and the mortal Semele, making Dionysus semi-device or a hero.

Facts about Dionysus:

  * Dionysus was primarily known as the God of the Vine.  

  * He was also referred to as Bacchus.  

  * Dionysus and Demeter, the Goddess of the Corn, were the supreme deities of the earth.  

  * Unlike the immortal gods, who were often hostile toward human beings, Dionysus and Demeter were benevolent toward mankind.  

  * Dionysus was the younger of the two, and little is known about how he came to take his place beside Demeter to be worshipped.  

  * Dionysus and Demeter were worshipped at Eleusis, a little town near Athens.  

  * Dionysus was a happy god during the harvest, but during the winter he languished along with the rest of the Earth.  

  * Dionysus was the last god to enter Olympus.  

  * Dionysus was the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele. He was the only god who had a mortal parent.  

  * He was born in Thebes.  

  * He was born of fire and nursed by rain. His birth corresponds to the development of grapes: heat ripens the fruit and water keeps it alive.  

  * Upon reaching adulthood, Dionysus wandered the Earth, teaching men the culture of the vine.  

  * Many festivals were held in honor of Dionysus: the Lesser or Rural Dionysia, the Greater or City Dionysia, the Anthesteria, and the Lenaea.  

  * Dionysus was variously represented in art as a full-grown bearded man, as a beast, and as a slight youth.  

  * Dionysus was insulted by Lycurgus, one of the kings in Thrace. Dionysus initially retreated and took refuge in the sea, but later he imprisoned Lycurgus for opposing his worship.  

  * Performances of tragedy and comedy were a part of the festivals thrown in his honor.  

  * Dionysus was also honored in lyric poetry.  

  * Dionysus was once captured by pirates because he looked like the son of a king. They kidnapped him, envisioning the ransom his parents would pay upon his return. Aboard the ship, the pirates were unable to confine him; the ropes fell apart when they touched Dionysus.  

  * Dionysus rescued the princess of Crete, Ariadne, and subsequently fell in love with her. Upon her death, Dionysus placed the crown he had given her among the stars.  

  * Though Dionysus was mostly a kind and generous deity, he could be cruel when necessary. Pentheus, a king of Thebes, tried to stop the frenzied worship of Dionysus. He attempted to imprison the God of Wine, while hurling insults and accusations at him. Dionysus explained his own eminence calmly, but Pentheus was unreceptive. Dionysus caused the Theban women to go mad so that they thought Pentheus a wild beast. They tore Pentheus limb from limb.  





	41. Demeter

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366523)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of Agriculture, Fertility, Sacred Law and the Harvest:

Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and presides over grains and the fertility of the earth. Although she was most often referred to as the goddess of the harvest, she was also goddess of sacred law and the cycle of life and death.

Her virgin daughter Persephone was abducted by the god of the underworld, HADES, and Demeter endlessly searched for her, preoccupied with loss and grief. The seasons halted and living things stopped growing and died. At this point, ZEUS had to intervene and send his messenger Hermes to the underworld to bring Persephone back and prevent the extinction of all life on Earth.

Hades agreed to Persephone’s relief but gave her a pomegranate as she left. When she ate the pomegranate seeds, she was bound to him for one third of the year, either the dry Mediterranean summer, when plant life is threatened by drought, or the autumn and winter.

Demeter and Persephone were also the central figures to the Eleusinian Mysteries – a series of large and secretive concerts held every five years. These mysteries represented the abduction of Persephone by Hades in three phases. The “descent” (loss), the “search” and the “ascent”. The main theme is the “ascent” of Persephone and the reunion with her mother.

Facts about Demeter:

  * Demeter was the daughter of Cronos and Rhea.  

  * She was the goddess of harvest and fertility.  

  * She had one daughter, Persephone; Zeus was Persephone’s father.  

  * After Hades abducted Persephone, Demeter grieved. The earth became barren through her neglect; thus, the winter season and its manifestations were a reflection of Demeter’s emotional state during Persephone’s absence.  

  * She revealed to man the art of growing and using corn.  

  * Only women attended the Thesmophoria, a fertility festival held in honor of Demeter.  

  * The fields of grain and the threshing-floor were under her protection. They were temples at which she could occupy at any moment.  

  * Her chief festival came at the harvest time. It began as a humble feast and over time morphed into a mysterious worship. This great festival occurred only every five years.  

  * Demeter and Dionysus were worshipped at Eleusis, a little town near Athens. Their worship was referred to as the Eleusinian Mysteries.  

  * Demeter was older than Dionysus. They were the two great gods of THE EARTH.  

  * Metaneira, a mother herself, comforted Demeter in Persephone’s absence. In fact, Demeter nursed one of Metaneira’s children. She doted on the child and anointed him with ambrosia on a daily basis. Demeter’s attachment to the child alarmed Metaneira, and the two ultimately went their separate ways.  

  * Still angry over the abduction of Persephone, Demeter subjected the world to famine. Zeus sent the gods to Demeter one by one to try and bring her out of her despondency. Demeter and Persephone were ultimately reunited at Zeus’s decree.  

  * Demeter was granted four months per year with Persephone; her daughter would remain with Hades for the remaining months.  

  * Men called Demeter the “Good Goddess” despite the desolation she had brought about as a result of her grief.  

  * She named Triptolemus her ambassador to men.  

  * She taught Triptolemus and Celeus her sacred rites.  

  * In ancient art, Demeter was pictured wearing a wreath made of ears of corn.  

  * The snake and the pig were sacred to her.  

  * The torch is often depicted in connection with Demeter because of her persistent search for Persephone.  

  * Demeter came to Eleusis during the reign of King Erechtheus of Athens.  





	42. Persephone

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29497766)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the queen of the underworld. She was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld, infuriating her mother who made the crops wither and the earth barren. Zeus intervened and tried to bring Persephone back to the world of the living; however, Persephone ate the seeds of a pomegranate that Hades had given to her, binding her to him for one third of the year. Thus, it was decided that Persephone spend four months in the underworld and eight months on earth with her mother. The period in the underworld corresponded to the winter season, during which Demeter would make the soils barren due to her grief, while her return marked the start of the spring.

She was also given a number of epithets; she was often called Kore (the maiden) and Kore Soteira (the saviour maiden); Hagne (the pure); Aristi Cthonia (the best cthonic); and Despoina (the mistress of the house).

Persephone is also called Proserpina, Kore.


	43. Cupid

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366529)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Cupid was the Greek god of love, son of Aphrodite and either Ares or Hermes. In some myths, he was considered a primordial god, a child of Chaos, who blessed the union of Gaia and Uranus after which the universe came into existence.

Especially in later works by satirical poets, he was depicted as a blindfolded male, who, carrying his bow and arrow, could target any human being and make them fall in love with the first person they would see. One of the most prevalent myths in ancient Greece was that of Cupid and Psyche; according to it, Aphrodite was jealous of the beauty of mortal princess Psyche and told her son to make her fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. However, Cupid fell for her instead and took her to his divine abode. However, Psyche's jealous sisters led Psyche to betray Cupid, who abandoned her; Psyche, wandering the Earth for her lost love, approached Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite created a series of tasks for Psyche which she successfully passed, and hence, Aphrodite decided to concede. Since then, Psyche became immortal and united with her husband. They had a daughter, Hedone (meaning bliss).

Cupid is also called Eros, Erotas.


	44. Psyche

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=30296136)   


There were once a king and queen, rulers of an unnamed city, who had three daughters of conspicuous beauty. The youngest and most beautiful was Psyche, whose admirers, neglecting the proper worship of the love goddess Aphrodite, instead prayed and made offerings to her. It was rumored that she was the second coming of Aphrodite, or the daughter of Aphrodite from an unseemly union between the goddess and a mortal. Aphrodite was offended, and commissioned Cupid to work her revenge. Cupid instead scratches himself with his own dart, which makes any living thing fall in love with the first thing it sees. As soon as Cupid scratches himself he falls deeply in love with Psyche and disobeys his mother's order to make Psyche fall in love with something hideous.

Although her two humanly beautiful sisters have married, the idolized Psyche has yet to find love. Her father suspects that they have incurred the wrath of the gods, and consults the oracle of Apollo. The response is unsettling: the king is to expect no human son-in-law, but rather a dragon-like creature who harasses the world with fire and iron and is feared by even Zeus and the inhabitants of the underworld.

Psyche is arrayed in funeral attire, conveyed by a procession to the peak of a rocky crag, and exposed. Marriage and death are merged into a single rite of passage, a "transition to the unknown." Zephyr the West Wind bears her up to meet her fated match, and deposits her in a lovely meadow where, she promptly falls asleep.

The transported girl awakes to find herself at the edge of a cultivated grove. Exploring, she finds a marvelous house with golden columns, a carved ceiling of citrus wood and ivory, silver walls embossed with wild and domesticated animals, and jeweled mosaic floors. A disembodied voice tells her to make herself comfortable, and she is entertained at a feast that serves itself and by singing to an invisible lyre.

Although fearful, she allows herself to be guided to a bedroom, where in the darkness a being she cannot see makes her his wife. She gradually learns to look forward to his visits, though he always departs before sunrise and forbids her to look upon him, and soon she becomes pregnant.

Psyche's family longs for news of her, and after much cajoling, Cupid, still unknown to his bride, permits Zephyr to carry her sisters up for a visit. When they see the splendor in which Psyche lives, they become envious, and undermine her happiness by prodding her to uncover her husband's true identity, since surely as foretold by the oracle she was lying with the vile winged serpent, who would devour her and her child.

One night after Cupid falls asleep, Psyche carries out the plan her sisters devised: she brings out a dagger and a lamp she had hidden in the room, in order to see and kill the monster. But when the light instead reveals the most beautiful creature she has ever seen, she is so startled that she wounds herself on one of the arrows in Cupid's cast-aside quiver. Struck with a feverish passion, she spills hot oil from the lamp and wakes him. He flees, and though she tries to pursue, he flies away and leaves her on the bank of a river.

There she is discovered by the wilderness god Pan, who recognizes the signs of passion upon her. She acknowledges his divinity, then begins to wander the earth looking for her lost love.

Psyche visits first one sister, then the other; both are seized with renewed envy upon learning the identity of Psyche's secret husband. Each sister attempts to offer herself as a replacement by climbing the rocky crag and casting herself upon Zephyr for conveyance, but instead is allowed to fall to a brutal death.

In the course of her wanderings, Psyche comes upon a temple of Demeter, and inside finds a disorder of grain offerings, garlands, and agricultural implements. Recognizing that the proper cultivation of the gods should not be neglected, she puts everything in good order, prompting a theophany of Demeter herself. Although Psyche prays for her aid, and Demeter acknowledges that she deserves it, the goddess is prohibited from helping her against a fellow goddess. A similar incident occurs at a temple of Hera. Psyche realizes that she must serve Aphrodite herself.

Aphrodite revels in having the girl under her power, and turns Psyche over to her two handmaids, Worry and Sadness, to be whipped and tortured. Aphrodite tears her clothes and bashes her head into the ground, and mocks her for conceiving a child in a sham marriage. The goddess then throws before her a great mass of mixed wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas, lentils, and beans, demanding that she sort them into separate heaps by dawn. But when Aphrodite withdraws to attend a wedding feast, a kind ant takes pity on Psyche, and assembles a fleet of insects to accomplish the task. Aphrodite is furious when she returns drunk from the feast, and only tosses Psyche a crust of bread. She checks on Cupid, who had been staying with his mother while his wound healed, and then goes to bed. 

At dawn, Aphrodite sets a second task for Psyche. She is to cross a river and fetch golden wool from violent sheep who graze on the other side. These sheep are elsewhere identified as belonging to Apollo. Psyche's only intention is to drown herself on the way, but instead she is saved by instructions from a divinely inspired reed, of the type used to make musical instruments, and gathers the wool caught on briers.

For Psyche's third task, she is given a crystal vessel in which to collect the black water spewed by the source of the rivers Styx and Cocytus. Climbing the cliff from which it issues, she is daunted by the foreboding air of the place and dragons slithering through the rocks, and falls into despair. Zeus himself takes pity on her, and sends his eagle to battle the dragons and retrieve the water for her.

The last trial Aphrodite imposes on Psyche is a quest to the underworld itself. She is to take a box and obtain in it a dose of the beauty of Persephone, queen of the underworld. Aphrodite claims her own beauty has faded through tending her ailing son, and she needs this remedy in order to attend the theatre of the gods.

Once again despairing of her task, Psyche climbs a tower, planning to throw herself off. The tower, however, suddenly breaks into speech, and advises her to travel to Lacedaemon, Greece, and to seek out the place called Taenarus, where she will find the entrance to the underworld. The tower offers instructions for navigating the underworld:

The airway of Hades is there, and through the yawning gates the pathless route is revealed. Once you cross the threshold, you are committed to the unswerving course that takes you to the very regia of Hades. But you shouldn’t go emptyhanded through the shadows past this point, but rather carry cakes of honeyed barley in both hands, and transport two coins in your mouth.

The speaking tower warns her to maintain silence as she passes by several ominous figures: a lame man driving a mule loaded with sticks, a dead man swimming in the river that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead, and old women weaving. These, the tower warns, will seek to divert her by pleading for her help: she must ignore them. The cakes are treats for distracting Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of Hades, and the two coins for Charon the ferryman, so she can make a return trip.

Everything comes to pass according to plan, and Persephone grants Psyche's humble entreaty. As soon as she reenters the light of day, however, Psyche is overcome by a bold curiosity, and can't resist opening the box in the hope of enhancing her own beauty. She finds nothing inside but an "infernal and Stygian sleep," which sends her into a deep and unmoving stupor.

Meanwhile, Cupid's wound has healed into a scar, and he escapes his mother's house by flying out a window. When he finds Psyche, he draws the sleep from her face and replaces it in the box, then pricks her with an arrow that does no harm. He lifts her into the air, and takes her to present the box to Aphrodite.

He then takes his case to Zeus, who gives his consent in return for Cupid's future help whenever a choice maiden catches his eye. Zeus has Hermes convene an assembly of the gods in the theater of heaven, where he makes a public statement of approval, warns Aphrodite to back off, and gives Psyche ambrosia, the drink of immortality, so the couple can be united in marriage as equals. Their union, he says, will redeem Cupid from his history of provoking adultery and sordid liaisons. Zeus's word is solemnized with a wedding banquet.

Cupid and Psyche remain happily married, and their first child, born a god despite his half-moral heritage before his conception, is named Bliss.


	45. Hestia

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=24366465)   


Born of the cauldron, the gods were created with great, immeasurable power. Power too great for even themselves to understand, though through time they learned to control it. Control it and use it to their benefits, though that just made them even more dangerous. For even with their great power they were driven from every hearth and home they found. Dragons feared them, drove them out, fought against them until they could do nothing more than flee. 

Until they found the clan. Where they were welcomed with open doors, for fearsome creatures meant a stronger defense against the world outside that threatened to tear them apart. A stronger wall before the coming darkness. A wall they were more than happy to help build and maintain, for the Queen that showed them such kindness, for the Princess who stole their hearts (in many cases, in a realer way then expected, for many of them [especially Aphrodite] wanted to claim her as a lover, only to be disappointed in her Consort standing in their way [or, in Ares’ case, disappointed that her Consort Xena had chosen Princess Gabrielle over him instead]), for the clan that had welcomed them in so easily.

They had a place to settle, a place to call their own, and for that, they were happy. 

For they had been born of the cauldron, born with powers immeasurable, and it was here that their destiny was about to begin.  

* * *

Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Domestic Life:

Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, home, architecture, domesticity, family, and the state. She was one of only three virgin goddesses, next to ATHENA and ARTEMIS. Although both POSEIDON and APOLLO wanted to marry her, Hestia made an oath to ZEUS that she would remain forever pure and undefiled, never entering into a union with a man.

She is a goddess of the Olympian generation, daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister to Zeus, Poseidon, HADES, DEMETER and HERA. When Cronus swallowed his children for fear one would dethrone him, Hestia was the eldest and thus swallowed first.

After Zeus forced his father to disgorge his children, Hestia was the last to be yielded up, making her both the oldest and the youngest daughter.

As the goddess of the hearth she personified the fire burning in the hearth of every home in Greece. Hestia receiving the first offering at every sacrifice in the household with families pouring sweet wine in her name and dedicating the richest portion of food to her.

The hearth fire in the household was not allowed to go out by any family unless it was ritually distinguished. Though Hestia did not have a public cult, she was worshipped at any temple, regardless of the god the temple was dedicated to. Hestia is described as a kind, forgiving and discreet goddess with a passive, non-confrontational nature.

Facts About Hestia:

  * Hestia was the eldest daughter of Cronos and Rhea.  

  * As with the rest of his children, Cronos ate her but eventually regurgitated her.  

  * She was a sibling to Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, and Zeus.  

  * She was primarily known the Goddess of the Hearth.  

  * Of all the gods and goddesses, she was considered the gentlest and mildest. Others, critically, have called her colorless because there is little information provided in regard to her character.  

  * Although Hestia appeared in a few stories, she was not overly significant in Greek mythology.  

  * Hestia is completely omitted from the works of Homer, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.  

  * Poets such as Apollodorous, Hesiod, and Ovid allude to her in their works.  

  * Each city had a public hearth that was sacred to Hestia; the fire kindled there was never allowed to go out.  

  * New colonies took fire from the hearth in the prytaneion (also known as the town hall) and kept the fires going in those new locations.  

  * Every meal began and ended with an offering to Hestia.  

  * Like Athena and Artemis, Hestia was referred to as a virgin goddess.  

  * Although Apollo and Poseidon proposed marriage to Hestia, she requested of Zeus to remain a maiden forever.  

  * Domestic life was her dominion in spite of her desire to remain a virgin.  

  * She was one of only twelve Olympian deities.  

  * Her name literally means “hearth”; appropriately, her priorities were family and community.  

  * Children were accepted into the family by being presented at Hestia’s hearth. This observed first step ensured the goddess’s blessing on the new addition.  

  * Vesta was the Roman equivalent to Hestia.  

  * Public and private worship of Hestia was widespread.  

  * She represented communal security and personal happiness.  

  * Because Hestia remained a virgin, it follows that she had no children.




	46. Sappho

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=26670263)   


" _Sweet mother, I cannot weave –_  
slender Aphrodite has overcome me  
with longing for a girl."

She was a poet. An artist. Some called her the Tenth Muse, for her writing was so sweet as to bring tears to the eyes and joy to the tongue, which leapt at any chance to speak her words. With her wife Morai by her side, she would fill the world with spoken lyrics, the song finding its existence within the breathes taken aback by her beauty. Much would become lost to the passing of time- a travesty, one that would be mourned by the world for ages to come, when they discovered their loss. But, for now, she didn't care. 

_"I have loved the stars,_  
And I have loved her.   
And I am sorry, great galaxy,   
But you cannot compare." 

She wrote, for she was the Tenth Muse, and for now she filled the world with her beauty. 

“ _There’s a moment when I look at you,_  
and no speech is left in me.  
My tongue breaks   
then fire races under my skin and I tremble and grow pale,   
for I am dying of such love.   
Or so it seems to me.”


	47. Morai

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=27265201)   


Sappho might be named the Tenth Muse, but her own muse, the female who inspired her to write, was Morai. 

They had been friends, friends who grew into lovers, lovers who grew into something more, beyond the understanding of this mortal realm. They were destined for each other, destined to live and love as many times over as there were stars in the sky. And while they did not know it, they were just glad to have each other now, for this life, the life that was most precious to them. 

Sappho wrote and Morai lived and loved and made the words worth writing, for within them were every single thing Sappho found she could not say (for her tongue was flat where her fingers were sleek, unable to give voice to what needed to be voiced most). Morai was the reason for the words, the reason for the song, and that reason was love.


	48. Hecuba

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22960725)   


She’d always loved animals. Ever since she was a hatchling, she’d always been fascinated with them, and when Queen Tamora offered her a permanent position with the clan, as the assistant to the clan’s breeder, she’d jumped at the offer. A chance to spend day in and day out working with the familiars?

She wanted nothing more, and so joined Herodotus on the farm the moment she could. And she fell with him, even as their lives began to fall apart. 

The farm was failing. Crops didn’t grow, the familiars wouldn’t bleed, nothing turned out as they wanted. And even though she begged Herodotus to go to the Queen and ask for a relocation, to ask for new land so their charges would stop suffering, he had refused. She had fallen in love with a stubborn old fool, and as much as she wanted to go behind his back, to go to the Queen herself and ask for what he couldn’t, she couldn’t. It would destroy him to think he had failed, and it would be a betrayal he would never forgive her for. 

But then he traded one of their children away for what they could have just asked for, and even though it was for the best, for them, for her, for the clan, it still hurt. Hurt that she would see that child grow up with a different mother, a different destiny, a different life from her own. Everything about this hurt, and part of her demanded that she say something, that she demand another option. 

But she bit her tongue. She traveled to that faraway nature nest, and breed with her love. She laid her eggs, and waited for them to hatch. 

But she was scared. Scared that the Queen would take a look at her children, decide that none of them would be worthy, and turn them away. Scared that she and Heradotus would have to find a new place to call home, never cast out of the clan but forced to leave anyway. 

So she left one night, found another nest, and stole their egg. Just one, just a single egg that would increase their chances of the Queen accepting one of her children as her heir. She stole the egg, added it to her nest, and when Heradotus didn't even notice that the number of eggs in the nest had increased, she breathed a sigh of relief. Mixed the egg with her own until she didn't know which was which, and loved them all as much as she could.   

When her eggs hatched, she only looked once. Looked just once to see the children- three her own, one not, but which was which she couldn't be sure. Four beautiful children, four darling hatchlings that she fell beyond in love with in that single look. Four children that Tamora stood before and choose from, taking a beautiful little girl as her own. 

The other three were sent away, sent to serve the gods before they could talk, to keep their sibling's secret safe.  

But she watched. She watched as her daughter – Gabrielle, as the child was called, though she would have preferred to name her Lila – grew into a princess the clan could be proud of. Watched as she became a wonderful, lovely, amazing dragon, became more than she and Herodotus could have made her. Watched as she lived her life, unaware of who they were beyond the fact that they were the clan’s familiar breeders. 

That, and the fact that the farm was finally doing well, the familiars happy and breeding, almost made it worth it. 

Until Gabrielle disappeared with that horrid female, disappeared with Xena supposedly with Queen Tamora’s permission, and nothing became worth it. Because to allow that horrid, awful creature to be part of her life- Hecuba wanted to destroy her herself, wanted to end that creature’s life, but she couldn’t. 

Even though she hated Xena, even though she wanted her dead, she couldn’t, because the moment Gabrielle and Xena returned to the clan, Hecuba saw. She saw that Gabrielle was beaming, smiling more than she ever had in her life as Princess. Saw that she was in love with life and in love with Xena, and to hate her, just because of her past (which she was trying to make up for)? To hate her for taking her daughter away, when Gabrielle was clearly loving it so much? 

Hecuba found herself growing more and more fond of Xena with each visit- she searched her out, sat with her, got to know her, and came to become her friend. She couldn’t approve of her, not fully, but for Gabrielle’s happiness? She accepted her. Accepted her as much as she could. 

And even when Gabrielle came back hard, her eyes and her body hard, her smile not quite so easy as it once had, it was still clear that she loved it. She loved that life and she loved Xena, and so Hecuba loved her as well. 

Even though Gabrielle would never know she was her mother, Hecuba was still just glad she was happy. Still just glad that she was in love, that her future was bright, that even though she had come home with scars both mental and physical and everything in between, she was going to be ok. 

Content on the farm, watching as her daughter lived and loved and was happy, everything was ok.


	49. Herodotus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=22820010)   


He was a stubborn old fool. 

When Herodotus had joined the clan, all those years ago, he had been given the choice of job, any position he wanted within the clan. Queen Tamora wanted the clan happy, and so let them perform whatever would make them so, so long as they had the skills and perseverance to do so. When he asked to be a farmer, to take care of the clan’s familiars that weren’t attached to a dragon, she had given him the permission to do so. Had let him choose his plot of land from all the clan owned, gave him the helpers needed so he could build his farm, even gave him the treasure needed to go out and buy more familiars (at the time, few pets had been owned by the clan). She found him books on how to breed familiars in captivity, on the best way to train even the most rowdy of familiars, everything he would ever need. 

She even sent Hecuba to be his assistant, the female he would eventually fall in love with, and who would fall in love with him. 

She gave him everything, and he had failed. 

The land he ended up choosing had been wrong, all wrong. Nothing grew there, nothing but inedible grasses and hard shrubs the familiars hated. None of them would breed- even when he laid out food, ordered custom nests to tempt them into mating, eggs never appeared, and any live young the mammalian familiars had were sickly, small, and never lived long. He tried to give them the diets they needed, tried to keep them well fed, but the crops he planted failed, leaving him to buy the cheap food from the markets that filled their stomachs, yes, but that did nothing for their health. 

He could have gone to the Queen, explained the situation, and gotten new land. He could have asked for treasure (while the dragons were encouraged to live off their own earnings, the treasury was open to them all. All they had to do was request the funds, and if it was within her power, they were given them) to buy better food, create better enclosures, add nutrients to the soil and make it viable, but he couldn’t. He was stubborn, prideful old fool, and he refused to be beaten by the land. 

But he was just a dragon, and the land was an indomitable force, and so he lost. Even when Hecuba asked him, begged him, to go to the Queen and just move somewhere else, he had refused, refused to accept more charity then he already had, and so lost. 

They were going to leave- sell the farm to some of the richer, older dragons in the clan who might want a home outside the caves that made the main lair, return the familiars to the Queen’s keep, and just go. His shame was too much to face, and so he refused to stay in the place that had been his home. And Hecuba, sweet, loving Hecuba, had decided to go with him. They had just made the agreement, were making the arrangements, when Queen Tamora, with her Consort Felix at her side, knocked on their door and offered them a trade. 

It wouldn’t be charity, but instead them helping her for the good of the clan, and a reward for their services. 

What she needed was a child. She was worried about the future of the clan, and she had had too many children herself for a clear line of succession. What she needed a child of the clan, one not related to her (so her older children couldn’t try and lay claim themselves) that she could raise to be her Princess, and the next Queen when it was time for her to step down. If they would give her one, give her a daughter, she would move them, their farm, and all of the familiars to new land, land she knew was fertile. Land the familiars would thrive upon, land that would grow more crops than they knew what to do with, land that would make them rich. 

So long as they gave her a child, a daughter she could call her own. 

The four of them talked about it, long into the night: Herodotus and Hecuba would have no contact with the hatchling after she was hatched. There would be no discussion about this deal to anyone outside of them four- not even the counsel would know that the child belonged to anyone other than Tamora and Felix. The truth would only be revealed if one of her and Felix’s blood children came to try and take the throne for themselves. They would be given a letter, one signed and sealed by Tamora, stating the terms and agreements of this adoption, showing that the Princess was the legal heir, if any tried to question it. And the Princess would be born far away from here, for the color of her eyes wouldn’t matter. All that would was that most of the clan believed her to be next in line to the throne. 

And in exchange, the ability to try again, this time on land known to be good. 

It was an easy choice. They had already had children, children grown and sent off to their futures. They could easily have more. What was one child, for the good of the clan, for the good of their future? 

They traveled to a faraway nature clan, one that could a keep a secret. It was supposedly on business- to find new familiars for breeding, supposedly. And since the Queen had friends in that clan, she and her Consort had accompanied them, along with two single guards they knew could be trusted. They bred, laying a single egg, and prayed it was a girl. When it was time for it to hatch, Queen Tamora and Felix took their places before the nest, watching as the egg cracked open. 

It was girl, a beautiful little girl Tamora immediately named Gabrielle, and it hurt more than anything they had ever known to watch her walk away in the claws of another. 

The move went easily- a new house and farm were built, crops were sown, and the enclosures for the familiars were set up, allowing the beasts to move in. And there were eggs, more eggs than Herodotus and Hecuba could count; there were younglings, more little ones running around than they could count, dozens of familiars that were sold on the market, given as gifts to visiting royalty- they quickly became rich. 

Even as they had to watch their daughter grow up from afar. 

She was beautiful, and grew more and more beautiful with every passing day. She learned grace and dignity, learned how to rule, became a Princess worthy of their clan. 

Until she met up with that disgusting warlord Xena and ran off with her. 

The entire clan lived in constant worry, confused as to why the Queen had allowed their Princess to run off with Xena. Only Cyrene seemed to have any kind of understanding, but she was that awful female’s mother. Of course she would think her child unable to harm the princess, despite the horrible things Xena had done in her past. But the Queen should have known better, should have realized that Xena would turn her child, their child, into a monster. 

It was almost worst. They fell in love, Gabrielle and Xena, and for every day they traveled, for the six years Gabrielle was gone from the clan, Herodotus worried. Whenever they returned, whether it was for a few days or a few hours, he always made sure to present himself to her with an issue to ask her advice on- problems with fighting between the familiars, differencing prices for feed, anything he could think of just to see her. Just to look at her and make sure she was ok. 

He hated Xena, hated her for the cuts and bruises and scars that he saw upon her, hated her for the hardening of her eyes that he saw the longer she was away. He hated Xena for doing this to his little girl (because she was his little girl, even if Tamora and Felix had claim to her, she was his little girl, and he had loved her everyday she had grown up). 

And when, after six years, Gabrielle came home to stay, he praised the gods. Praised the gods that she was ok, that she would finally be staying home. 

And cursed them when it was declared that Xena was her mate, was to be her consort, was to rule by her side when Queen Tamora and Felix stepped down. 

Not that he could do anything, nothing but stay on his farm and angrily stew in his bitterness, but still. Herodotus was angry, angry that his daughter had gotten caught up in such a life, a life he never wanted for her. 

He wanted her a Princess, not the bedmate of a murderer, a former warlord who had more innocent blood than any but the Shade, and the fact that she had become one just angered him so.


	50. Callisto

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29564658)   


She hated her. 

Callisto had been a normal young dragon, once. A normal little hatchling, she had had a good life. A family that loved her, a prosperous, if little, clan that took care of each other, a home and a life that would have been good. She would have grown up, would have been cared for and loved- life would have been good for her, had she been able to live it. 

But then Xena and her army came, destroyed her clan, killed everyone she ever loved, and left her alive. 

Some said it was an accident- Xena, even at her most evil, had never decimated a clan like that. Killed anyone who fought, yes, but if they put aside their weapons and let her do whatever she wanted, then everyone lived. Many said that the fire that had taken Callisto’s family hadn’t been on purpose, that she should put aside her hatred and try to live her life. To stay rooted in the past, to let herself be consumed by hatred, would do nothing but poison her. 

Callisto didn’t care. Didn’t care that it was an accident, that it hadn’t been on purpose, because if Xena had never existed, if Xena hadn’t come to her clan, her clan, her parents, would still be alive. So Callisto didn’t, couldn’t, care. All she wanted was revenge for Xena ruining her life, and she would get it any way possible. 

She started out in little ways. When Xena was in a town with that little princess of hers, Gabrielle, Callisto stirred up the dragons, starting trouble where there wouldn’t be any before. She set up people who would go out of their way to try and kidnap the princess and kill her protector; none of them knowing her name, of course, so they had none to give when Xena eventually found them. She slipped poison into food at inns, gathered together armies under false names and sent them to attack, and even interacted with them under a guise, giving them “helpful” information that would had led to their deaths, had Xena not been able to save them. 

And when the little, indirect ways didn’t work, she became more direct. 

A poisoned dart to Xena’s throat. Sending assassins after them, paid in full to do the job. Whispering into Velasca’s ear that the Princess, to harm the Amazons, should die, when really it would be Xena who felt the pain the most. She followed after them, figured out where they lived, and took up residence with Velasca as her “partner,” and waited. 

She was rewarded, because shortly after Gabrielle and Xena decided to come home to stay, at least for a while, giving Callisto all the time she needed. 

She knew that Xena knew someone was out for her blood, knew that someone was just waiting for the chance to off her, but she doubted even the great Xena would believe someone inside the clan would attempt anything. Especially since she and Velasca pretended so well. Pretended they were happy, pretended they loved the little princess, pretended they trusted the monarchy and the future of the clan. 

Xena didn’t even recognize her when they were standing face to face, their gazes meeting, one of the few times they ran into each other in the clan. Xena didn’t even recognize the girl whose life she had destroyed, and Callisto wanted it that way. 

Because she would destroy everything Xena loved, would bring about her downfall, and then, only then, would Callisto reveal who she was. So that in her very last moment, Xena would know her failing. 

She hated her, and one day Callisto would have her revenge.


	51. Velasca

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29560965)   


She’d been an Amazon once, back when they were new. When they were free to roam the world, free from males and the steady, predictable life of a permanent clan that slowly chocked you to death. Back when things were good, even if it was hard and dangerous. 

They were free. 

But even though she enjoyed the freedom, Velasca wanted more. 

She’d always been in love with Cyan- almost all the Amazons were, at one point or another, but her feelings lasted long past the hatchling crush most of the others had. Lasted until they became real, something more than they ever could have been otherwise if it wasn’t honest, true love. She wanted to be by Cyan’s side, to help rule over the Amazons for her.

And then Cyan married Terreis, and Velasca’s heart broke. 

If she couldn’t have Cyan, she could at least have the Amazons, though, and so she challenge Cyan for leadership. And lost. 

She should have been drive out, should have been forced to leave, but she wasn’t. Oh, she was punished- ate the last of the hunts, slept on the outside of the huddle, found herself walking alone more and more often as they traveled down the paths. Everyone was still nice, in word and action, but it was clear that few still saw her as a true part of the clan. 

And then Terreis turned against Cyan, fought her and won, and Valesca saw her chance. She attacked, hoping to kill the traitor, to end her and take her place by Cyan’s side, once she was restored to her proper place as ruler. 

And once again she lost. This time she lost and was driven from the clan, Terreis pursuing her until the clan was far behind them, driving her as far away as she could. And Valesca kept running. Running for her life, running for somewhere she could be safe, running for days and nights until the weeks blended into some mess of a storm she didn’t understand. She barely slept, barely ate, just kept running from her shame, her broken heart, the family that had turned against her.

That was how Callisto found her- weak, scared, tired, longing for it to end, one way or another. And Callisto offered her a way to make it so. 

A way to make her strong, stronger than any who had ever lived before. Stronger than the gods themselves, giving her the power to reign over the world. Strong enough to destroy the Amazons. 

She ate the ambrosia Callisto offered, and rose a new dragon, ready to see the end. 

She was disgusted, when she finally found the Amazons again. They had given up the road for a permanent clan, had taken on the title of Queen’s Guard, and had dedicated themselves to Queen Tamora- and, more importantly, Princess Gabrielle. 

Just like Callisto had told her. They had fallen in love with their little princess, were prepared to lay down their lives and die for her if that was what was necessary, and it sickened her. 

So she set out to destroy her, to return the Amazons to their former glory, and to take her place as their leader. 

She and Callisto posed themselves as wandering mates to the Queen- not a lie, for the two of them had shared a bed for months now, though to call it love was to be wrong. They hated each other, knew that they were just using each other to meet some form of end, but she didn’t care. A hate mate was the best she could do at the moment, and so she accepted it, because something better was on the horizon. 

They were accepted in, given quarters within the lair, and then they waited. She waited for her chance to take down the little princess, to end her life and return the Amazons to who they once were. She waited for the chance to strike.


	52. Doctor

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=728849)   


He wasn’t sure how old he was. He had seen the world rise and fall, had seen Queens and Kings come and go, had witnessed countless births and uncountable deaths, and through it all, he had lived. 

Doctor wasn’t sure how, but somehow, he had. 

For the longest time he had loved it, had loved getting to chronical the world he called his own, even though it saddened him to watch as his friends passed. Watched them grow and fall in love, having children of their own who would follow the same path as their ancestors before, eventually, giving way to the forces of time as well. It was sad, but the cycle of life, one he knew would take him as well. Eventually. One day. 

Maybe? Because as the years passed, on and on and on, he wasn’t quite sure. Wasn’t sure if he would ever give in to that eternal sleep, ever close his eyes to never awaken them again, but for the most part it didn’t bother him, that it had taken him thousands of years what it took others a few decades to reach. 

Mainly because it allowed him to meet Rose, and finally fall in love. 

She was a beautiful wildclaw, had stolen his heart from the moment he laid his eyes upon her, and had decided to dedicate the entire rest of his life to her. 

At least, he dedicated the entire rest of her life to her, because eventually, just like everyone else, she passed. After years, decades spent together, happy and in love, she too eventually left him. Just like all the others. 

It broke his heart, left him with barely enough strength to carry on, but he did. 

Somehow he did, by becoming angry. Angry at the world for taking her, angry at the universe for not taking him, and so he threw himself into the rage and began to train. Trained against other dragons, shredding wings and tearing through scales with his claws and teeth, forcing himself to the top. Trained against monsters, bringing home feathers and hides and legs of meat to care for the clan that had taken him in when he had decided to settle down with Rose. That had mourned her loss almost as much as has had, that had helped keep him alive until he found he could breathe without her, that he had dedicated himself to in the aftermath. 

He took others with him, trained them just as well so that, when it was time for them to leave to serve the Arcanist, they would bring that much more power and prestige to the clan. Eventually, that became his role; Queen Tamora gave him rule over all of the extra land within the lair, referred to as the ludus by everyone else, which he could fill with great warriors to be trained as he desired. And for years he took pleasure in this, pleasure in the fighting and the battles, in watching his students become that much stronger before going off to serve the gods. 

But even that lost its joy after a while, so he trained one young girl, Angie, to train in his place. And instead, he took over from the Queen the managing of the ludus, of buying the stones needed for the dragons who were to be sold to other clans as warriors, of sorting the Attackers from the Mages, figuring out the odds and ends that had been necessary to make sure it all ran well. 

And one day, while gathering the food his warriors would need to keep up their strength while fighting, Shelby approached him with an egg. Found while the gatherers were out, it was clan law that all children be hatched and their worth decided upon, decided upon whether they would be kept or sent off, either to the gods or other clans. And if they were to be kept, adopted into the family that had hatched them. 

There had already been an incident, where one of the temporary clan members had found and hatched an egg while out in the field- an oversight never meant to happen, but one that was being dealt with. The girl would be kept and raised and loved, but the Queen was reluctant to let it happen again. So, it had become an royal proclamation that the eggs were brought home, that they were only hatched within the walls of the clan, and to do otherwise was treason. The eggs would be sent to those who could use or desired a child, and the hatching was to be an official event, overseen by one of the council. 

Angie was a good trainer, but she was not Doctor’s heir, and to keep the ludus stable, he needed one. So an egg had been assigned to him, and if the child was worth keeping, it would become his own. 

Doctor had been hesitant- he didn’t want an heir, didn’t want any child other than the ones he had had with Rose, all that time ago, children who had long since left him alone, but to protest the Queen, while possible, was more trouble than it was worth. So, taking his claw, he had tapped a crack into the shell and watched as the hatchling did the rest. 

And the moment his eyes had fallen upon Batiatus, he fell in love all over again, his heart finally settled as he saw his son. 

He raised him as his own, trained him in the ways of fighting and the best ways to bring out the best in others, raised him with love and care and all the happiness and joy he could. Doctor wanted nothing more than for his son to be happy, to follow in his footsteps, to take over the ludus and find his way within the clan. 

Though, when his son brought home Lucretia, he couldn’t accept her. What was she, to the clan? She had to talents, no training; not her fault, since the dragons that had hatched her had been sold just a few days later, but she was barely better than an outsider. She was smart and clever and might one day make something of herself, but now? 

When Batiatus, fool of a son that he was, petitioned Queen Tamora to marry them, he had spoken against it. He wanted better for his son, and how could she be it? 

But Tamora married them anyway, and spoke to him on the side- Batiatus was happy, and that should be enough for Doctor. It had been enough for him and Rose, hadn’t it? 

And with shame he realized that she was right. He had gotten caught up in his power of position within the clan, with his ruling of the ludus (perhaps, indeed, the third most powerful position to exist, after the royal family and a seat on the council, despite the housing being a bit cramped amongst the warriors they trained), he had lost sight of what was important. And he had been jealous- jealous of his son for finding the love that he himself had lost, and in realizing that, he felt shame. 

Rose would have hated him for his protest, and he was shaming her memory by carrying on so.

Determined to make things right between himself and his son and daughter-in-law, Doctor had returned to their rooms within the lair, to ask for their forgiveness and welcome Lucretia into the family like he should have. 

Batiatus wasn’t there, his wife the only one home, and so they had talked. Or, at least, began to, for she had, like she always did, offered him a goblet of mulled honeyed wine when he had arrived. And he had quickly drained it, whetting his throat for the conversation that was to come- and was overcome with a wave of exhaustion. Strong enough to make him stumble, her arms around his shoulders the only thing keeping him from falling. Her arms leading him out of their rooms, back to his own, and settling him back into his own bed. 

“I will check on you, father,” she had whispered in his ears, “and send servants to tend to you when I cannot. So sleep.” 

And sleep he had, glad that such a lovely girl had married his son, unaware that the tang on his tongue, that same tang he tasted in the future whenever he woke up enough to drink from the goblet she always seemed to have waiting, was Emerald Striker venom. The venom drawing him to finally sleep, drawing him to his dreams, slowly, ever so slowly, drawing him to Rose’s side.


	53. Angie

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=14353360)   


Angie had a lover once. A beautiful dragon, an older female beyond all other comparison. A dragon who lied to keep her safe, only to have it all blow up in her face. 

Angie used to dream about being famous, her name known across the world for her acting skills. She dreamed about performing plays for the gods themselves, her performances bring tears to the eyes of those who watched and laughter to their lips, all amazed by her abilities. 

She used to dream those dreams, and her beloved supported her in all her endeavors. 

But then her beloved Peggy disappeared, hunted down by enemies, followers of the Shade, Angie couldn't understand. Peggy disappeared in the middle of the night with one last kiss, one last loving confession, and then she was gone. 

Angie's dreams turned to her love, and she tried to follow after. 

She didn't make it far. Unable to care for herself, unable to fend for herself, having only known a life of peace and love, Angie found herself, barely fully grown, starving, hurt, half crazed as she tried to find her way through the ruins she had stumbled into. 

Shelby found her there. He offered her food, carried her back to his clan, and Tamora, the Queen, offered her a place to stay. 

Angie tried to decline at first, tried to impart the importance of her mission, only to find that she was exactly where she needed to be. 

"I know of this dragon," Tamora informed her, using her bulk to block the exit from the caverns the clan called home. "This Peggy of which you speak. She joined us a long time ago, long before you were even hatched- she never stayed long, always on her secret missions for the gods against the Shade, but she always come home. When she shall return again," Tamora said, cutting off Angie's noises, "I do not know. But stay here. Stay with us. And one day, she shall return." 

So Angie did. She did, and her dream, once again, began to change. Changed from just finding her lover to actually being worthy of her. Of being a dragon Peggy could have by her side without fearing for her safety. A dragon Peggy wouldn't have to feel like she could keep secrets from. 

She trained. She went into the world with her clan mates, forced herself to eventually return to the ruins Shelby had found her in despite her fears, and forced herself to become strong. She fought and trained and became the strongest she could be, and in turned passed on her strength to others. She became the leader of their training forces- hatchlings who were destined for the gods were put in her care, to become worthy once they were trained. 

She enjoyed the fight, if only because it made the waiting that much easier. 

She still performed, for her clan, on the off nights when she wasn't exhausted from battle. And her performances were still beautiful. She performed what the clan bards wrote for her with ease, slipping into one role after the other, being everything she had ever originally dreamed of for her clan. She brought the words to life, brought tears and laughter to the dragons, and, for those few performances, life was everything she had wished as a hatchling. 

But the performances ended, and even though she was always greatly praised, she had life between the plays to live. A hard life, but one she was willing to live. 

So between the blood and the ink she waited, waited for the dragon she was in love with to show back up, to return to her home, where a lair space was always kept empty for her. 

And that one day came. A rainy, grim day, Angie and her trainees coming home early from the ruins, food and trinkets on their backs and their bodies stronger for the wear. With blood and mud in her claws and between her teeth, covering her scales, all while she rehearsed lines in the back of her mind, keeping her distracted until she could slip into the warm pools at the back of the cage to clean. So distracted that she didn't notice the blue fur waiting in the distance, or the signature red hat she had always worn, half hidden by a tree. 

Didn't noticed until it was almost too late, until Peggy had almost slipped away once again. But Angie, so used to the fight, so used to keeping her mind open to enemies even when distracted, just caught sight of her. In a moment she had shed her backs and flown towards the dragon, tackling the intruder to the wet grass, laughing and crying and burying her face into Peggy's fur as Peggy wrapped around her, murmuring that it was alright, okay, everything was good. 

In the rain and the mud and the wet grass, Angie and Peggy kissed once more, and vowed then and there to never be separated again. 

In part because Peggy's mission was done- she had completed her tasks, had told the gods she was done being their spy, and was done. Peggy had chosen home over her duty, had unknowingly chosen Angie over the gods, and both were so, so glad that she had. 

Angie still fights. She still trains. She still leaves the clan with newly adults dragons to be trained. She still finds her way into those ruins, still finds herself fighting the fear of them even after all this time within them. She still pushes herself to be better and better, helping those who she can to become better as well. 

She still performs, still brings to life the words written on the pages by the clan bards. Still pushes herself to become better and better, so that, maybe, one day, she'll be able to perform before the gods themselves. Bring tears to their eyes and laughter to their lips, her performance the best it can be. 

Angie still lives her day to day life, but she no longer waits. Instead, she lives holding onto her lover. She fights with Peggy by her side on occasion (though she's more likely to leave the training to Batiatus these days), performs with her eyes solely on Peggy, and lives her life with her wife.

It's a life Angie is happy with, and while she still has her dreams, she's no longer waiting. Because she doesn't have to anymore.


	54. Lucretia

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29572760)   


Though born lower in status then the man she loved (still a first gen, but a first gen hatched and adopted by the wrong dragons), Lucretia refused to let that stop her. 

When dragons sneered at her low upbringing, she smiled instead, disarming them with her graceful wit and charm, her words stealing the wind from their sails before they begin to bellow. 

When those lower in station then herself tried to ply from her secrets to winning an upper’s heart (for Batiatus was a trainer of warriors, had been adopted by a trainer of warriors- the great Doctor, who’s legend still shook those who entered the Arena even many years after his retirement-, and he had been trained by the most renowned trainer in the clan- Angie, who had sent many warriors to new heights within foreign clans and brought great renown to their lair before she herself had settled down to raise her own clutch of hatchlings. How could she, the hatched daughter of two who were soon sent to the Arcanist after her hatch day, ever win his heart?), she just smiled and told them it was love. The Queen supported love, wanted nothing more than for the pairs of the clan to be firmly in love, and when they had approached her with the hope of being wed, she had agreed. So she smiled and reminded them that it was no trick, no strange turn of magic- just love.   

When Batiatus’ father protested the union, when he asked Queen Tamora for a stay of the wedding, Lucretia smiled and bowed before him, working hard to gain his favor. She brought him his honeyed wine, kept the household in better shape than it had ever been, even when his wife Rose had been alive, and practically prostrated herself before the imperial. All to gain his favor, so she might be able to wed her love. 

And when he still refused to accept her as his soon to be kin, she started adding Emerald Striker venom to his drinks. Not enough to kill, no- even though they were not blood, Batiatus loved Doctor, loved his father a great deal, and Lucretia had no desire to take that from him. Instead, she added just enough to make his bones ache, make his head swim, make his eyes droop from the constant exhaustion. Just enough to make him spend most of his days asleep in his cave, tended to by young hatchlings just waiting to be sold in the market, leaving the training of warriors to Batiatus. 

Leaving no one to protest their marriage, and if any suspected a thing, no one said a word. Allowing her to marry the man she loved, leaving them with quite a sum of treasure at their disposal to both fund the training of warriors and delight in the finer bits of life, and live the life she was always destined to live. 

Only problem? They couldn’t have children. 

It wasn’t his fault- from time to time a female just waiting to be sold caught his eye, and he took her to nest. Not that Lucretia cared; the females were always sold, the children sent away from the clan as well, meaning none of them posed any kind of threat to her position, or the position her future children, the legitimate children, held. 

But it wasn’t her fault either. It took many males, many secret mating sessions behind Batiatus’ back, held in secret chambers in the back of the lair, but she eventually laid an egg. An egg that was lost to egg rot, back before the cure was found, egg rot that had been deliberately placed to infect her child by one of the males that had turned angry after she turned him away, but still it was an egg she had created herself. A viable egg that would have become their heir, if it had lived. 

But despite it being neither of their faults, they just couldn’t sire an egg with each other. Oh they tried, and enjoyed trying, but nothing came of their efforts, leaving them without a hatchling to call their own. 

Not that it mattered at the moment, not truly- they were still young, young and in love, more than ready to overlook the other’s indiscretions if it made them happy. They would have children one day, one day soon, and it would be something to praise the gods and sing to the heavens about when they did. One day. 

One day. Because one day would come, of that Lucretia was sure. They would have their children. One way or another. One day.


	55. Batiatus

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29576313)   


From the moment he opened his eyes, freshly hatched from his egg, Batiatus had dedicated his life to his father, Doctor. 

From the moment he was old enough to understand what his life was to be, he had thrown himself into the running of the ludus, trying to do his father proud. Learning how to pick out the best of the warriors on the market to bring home, herding the hatchlings into their play pens until they were old enough to fight themselves, figuring out the best way possible to train everyone as fast as he could- all of this to bring renown to the ludus, to be his father’s pride. 

And he was. Without a doubt, Doctor had dedicated himself to his raising, had made it clear Batiatus was his pride and joy, and that nothing he could ever so would be wrong. 

Except, apparently, fall in love. 

The moment his eyes had fallen upon Lucretia, he had known she was to be his. His heart, his soul, his love and his life; everything that he was supposed to be, she was it. But Doctor saw otherwise. Where Batiatus saw a female of unmatched beauty, a mind of unmatched wit, a dragon beyond everyone else, his father saw nothing more than an untrained burden. A girl with no parents, no status, and while within the clan everyone could be anything they desired, if they petitioned the Queen and she saw their worth, he had seen her with none. According to Doctor, she should have been exalted with her parents shortly after she had been hatched, and for Batiatus to have chosen her? 

It was a betrayal, and he refused to have it. 

So Doctor protested, tried to make idle threats- that he would find a new heir, that he would disown him, that Batiatus could live in the streets with his precious Lucretia if he so desired, but he would not suffer her presence within his home. 

And Batiatus didn’t care. He loved her more than anything, more than anything else in the world, and if that meant losing his father, then so be it. He went to the Queen, petitioned her favor for the marriage, and before anyone could do much more, they were wed. Wed and mated and the only one who could break it were themselves. 

He had thought that he’d have time- time to show Doctor that Lucretia was worthy as a wife, time to show him that he hadn’t made a mistake, that everything was going to be ok. He had thought he’d only lose his father and his home for a while. 

But then Doctor fell ill, fell asleep, and that time was lost. 

So he threw himself into the ludus and Lucretia, determined to make both his position within the clan and his wife the greatest and happiest that he could. And the ludus was easy- after his father’s teaching and under his old trainer’s, Angie’s, watchful eye, the ludus thrived. The greatest warriors were sent to the Arcanist, bringing coin and renown to the clan and the ludus both. The warriors even found themselves with some semblance of happiness, instead of just waiting for the day they could leave. 

His wife, on the other hand, was a different story. He loved her, just as much as she loved him, and while he could and would give her the world, he couldn’t give her one of the few things she actually wanted- an heir. 

It wasn’t his fault. He had and still did take women to nest when a particular one struck him, and somewhere out there he had many unclaimed children running around. Not that he claimed them, no- they were not of Lucretia, and so they were not of him. And it wasn’t her fault, either- he knew, had always known, about her own particular interests in some of the warriors that lived within the ludus, how she took them to her own rooms within the lair when the desire hit. How could he fault her, be angry, when he did the same thing, and it seemed to make her happy? But even though it had taken a long time, still these unions eventually produced an egg- it never hatched, he saw to that, introducing a bout of egg rot, but that still meant she could. 

So one day they would. Just, not now. 

Which fit his tastes perfectly, because, despite the positon of power he already held, he still wanted more. 

Master of the ludus, he was high in the ranks, third only to the Royal Family and the Council, with only the Queen’s Guard as his rival. And while there was no way for him to join the Royal Family (Queen Tamora was more than happy with Felix as her Consort, and while the Princess Gabrielle was not officially tied to her mate, Xena, the chances of breaking them apart were none. Besides, to pursue that rank would mean leaving Lucretia, something he refused to do), the Council was within his reach. A place of political power, where he would be able to whisper into the Royal’s ears, turn them to some of his own causes? 

It was a position he so greatly coveted, and one he was slowly, ever so slowly, working on obtaining. He considered himself a lion, a wolf among dragons, and so was determined to gain the power he desired. 

Yes, maybe through lies, maybe through a little bit of murder, but he was sure he would get there, one day. And for now? And for now he enjoyed his wife, enjoyed his position as the Master of the ludus, waited to see if his father would ever awaken, and enjoyed his comfortable life as best as he could before it all changed.


	56. Idlin

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29764330)   


Zana’s younger sister, Idlin always wondered where her sister had wandered off to. She had disappeared from the lair one foggy night, when the moon had been dark and the air cold, never to be seen again. No word left behind of whether or not this was her own choice, nothing to say she was safe and sound- Idlin had mourned, just like the rest of their family had mourned, believing the worst had befallen her.

There were monsters out there, dragon and beast clan alike, that wouldn’t hesitate to steal a young dragon from their nest, and that was all they could assume had happened to her. 

So Idlin grew up missing her sister, wondering what life might have been like had she lived. Had she been able to grow and be the sisters they were always supposed to be. It was a quiet sadness that remained within her life, that seeped into her mind when it was dark. But she grew, she lived, and as she got older, the wound faded into a scar upon her heart. She would always miss her sister, but that was the past, and she had to live for the future. 

And she did. She lived and she loved and she cared about her friends and family, happy in a life she built for herself. 

Until Zana, dressed in the feathered regalia of the Amazons, of the Queen’s Guard, visited the lair as Princess Gabrielle’s guardian. 

It was a shock to her system- after years of mourning, after years of believing her sister dead, here she was. Alive, well, happy and married and with a position of status. It was more than she could bare, more than she could handle, and tears dripping down her face, she had rushed at Zana to embrace her. 

She ended up with a nasty wound across her face for her troubles, the Consort, Xena lashing out at the perceived attack against her mate. She ended up detained and pinned to the ground by the other guards, all of them waiting to end her at a moment’s notice. 

It was Zana who finally recognized her, who asked Gabrielle to spare her life, and quickly she was helped to her feet, her wound tended to and bandaged. It would scar, there was no doubt about that, but she didn’t, couldn’t care. She had found her sister, had found Zana, and Idlin was just glad she was alive. 

They talked. Gabrielle granted her leave, and while the group was there, while Gabrielle and the leader of the clan discussed trade and an alliance, Idlin and Zana talked. Talked and finally discovered what had happened all those years ago. 

Zana had fallen in love. Years ago, the Amazons, when they were still a wild bunch of brutes, had been near the lair Zana and Idlin had grown up in. Zana, curious about this strange group of dragons, had gone to see them. Snuck out, hid in the bushed around the camp, just waiting and watching- and saw Rhea. Beautiful, lovely Rhea, who she had immediately gone to. Gone to and begged to be part of the clan, so she never had to leave her angle’s side again. 

She had been accepted in, and when the Amazons accepted their role as the Queen’s Guard, she had stayed with them. Stayed and trained and become the dragon she was today. And forgot all about her little sister, all about the family she had left behind.

Idlin was hurt. It hurt that she had been so easily forgotten, hurt that she had been so easily replaced, but she understood. Somehow she understood that Zana had been following her heart, and she couldn’t fault her for that. 

So she joined her instead. 

She wasn't cut out to join the Queen's Guard, no- she knew she was weak, knew it would be a long time before she could fight. But she trained and she tried, tried to be better and better, and one day she knew she'd join the knights. The knights that protected the council, that protected the lair; she'd become one of them, one day, and when that day came, she was more than ready. She couldn't stand besides her sister as she so desired, but she could be by her side nonetheless.

And until then, she created clothes. It was strange- before she had left her clan, she had never thought much about clothes. She knew other dragons wore them, either for fashion or because they found themselves uncomfortable within their own scales, but she had never cared about them. Not really. But when she had joined, although clothing was optional, with almost everyone clothed in the most beautiful apparel she had ever seen? She found herself falling in love, especially as her wounds healed and closed into scars. She would spend all of her free time searching through the clothing the members of the clan sent out to shop brought back, looking for something that appealed to her.

So, when Queen Tamora offered her a position as the clan's wardrobe coordinator, ensuring that the clan was kept up to date on all of the newest fashions, she had accepted it with haste, glad to have a position she could love. 


	57. Aludra

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29736695)   


Born the closest thing her clan had to a princess, Aludra had grown up with a very specific future in mind for her, even before she hatched from the egg- grow up well versed in politics, get married to the son of the other main family in the clan, raise a gaggle of children that would go on to marry other important members of society, making the clan that much stronger with each generation. 

But she hadn’t wanted that. She hadn’t wanted any of it, and the moment Aludra was old enough to take care of herself, old enough to defend herself, she had run. 

Run and become an adventurer, with Tum and Thom and Harper, all just trying to discover who they were, what they wanted in life, the kinds of people they were going to be. And in doing so, accidently started the end of the world. 

Not that many dragons actually realized it. The gods did, of course- they even sent Jaela down to help them fix their horrible mistake. But on a dragon-to-dragon basis? Most didn’t even know that the world was slowly falling apart under their feet. 

But they knew. Knew it was happening, and knew how to fix it. 

So they did. They set off, the five of them, gathering together the magical items that were needed to end the end, though their losses were great- Tum drowned, his body locked below ice that none of them could melt. Harper exploded, his magic turning against him when it wasn’t strong enough to protect him. And when the items had all been gathered, when everything was ready, and all that was needed was a life to end so they could save the world, Thom gave his own. Saving the world, leaving Jaela and Aludra by themselves. 

It was sad, heartbreaking, to have lost so many friends, but they were together, had each other, and so Aludra knew they would be able to go on (and part of her was glad it was Jaela who had survived with her, because she loved her. She had loved all of them, had considered them  closer to brothers then she had the ones she had left behind when she had left home, but she loved Jaela. Loved her more than she could say or know or even understand).

But then Jaela left. She left in the middle of the night, left and even though she waited for years, waited in the little home they had built together after the world had been saved and it was ok for them to rest, she never came back. 

So Aludra went home, went home to her family, broken and sad and alone, and agreed to their demands. 

She agreed to lead the clan, when her father passed on. Agreed to give up her life of adventuring to become a mother. Agreed to marry a male she did not love, because what else was there? Her friends were dead, her lover gone, and nothing else mattered. Not really. Not in the end. Not for the five years it took for preparations to be complete. 

She barely noticed it was her wedding day, would have overlooked the date altogether, had it not been for Jaela bursting in at the very last moment, begging her to run. 

And in that moment, for the first time in five years, Aludra felt alive. Felt alive and well because Jaela had returned to her, because her love was alive and well and wanted her too, because life was suddenly worth something again. 

So they ran. Ran and ran until they found a place her family would never try to find her, a clan that accepted them as they were and gave them a home to be proud of. They joined the ludus, first as students and later as teachers and guards. It gave them a home, a place to sleep and travel from and come back to when their bones ached and their claws were weary, something they could call their own. They could leave if they so desires- the Queen had made it clear that they didn’t have to stay, if the clan was not where their hearts laid. 

But as far as Aludra was concerned, they were home. Home and happy and together, and despite the terrors and fears of the past, they were free. And that was all she ever wanted.


	58. Jaela

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29469425)   


Created by the gods, born into this world for one single purpose, Jaela walked across the world with a single goal in mind- stop its destruction. And she had planned to do so, really, that had been her every intention. She had met up with a group of heroes, traveled to where the world was supposed to end, and mentally and physically prepared herself to die.

Only, things didn’t quite go as planned. Because she didn’t die to save the world, one of her other friends took that sacrifice, because she herself found that there was something more important to her than saving the world. 

And that thing was Aludra, her heart and her soul, and how could she leave her after she had just found her? 

She couldn’t, couldn’t bring herself to die when she had finally found something more important than the duty given to her by the gods, and so she didn’t. She allowed her friend Thom to save the world in her place, allowed him to sacrifice himself in her stead, and she stayed with Aludra. 

Things were tough, after that. The gods turned against her when she refused to return to them, her relationship with Aludra became strained as her exile worn on, and while she loved her, truly loved her, she didn’t even know who she was anymore. Her entire short life, she had been an agent of the gods, sent to fulfill a single duty, and without that identity, what was she? Who was she? 

She didn’t know, and so she ran. Ran for five years to figure out who she was, why she existed upon this earth, discovering who and what she was supposed to be. Ran without telling anyone where she was going, when she could come back- she didn’t even tell Aludra goodbye. She left before dawn, left when her love was still deep asleep, because she couldn’t face her awake. Couldn’t let her know how much she was hurting, how deeply her confusion and pain went, and so she just left. 

For five years she searched, figured out who she was- a warrior, a lover, a wife if Aludra would have her back. A friend to kings and queens and to the gods themselves, after she faced them in their homes and demanded answers to questions she didn’t even know she had, not until they granted her audiences and spoke. But answers she got, and eventually she returned to peace with herself. A darker peace, one that kept her from being quite as light hearted as she had been in her youth, but a peace nonetheless. 

She tried to go home, back to the house she and Aludra had created and known. But when she got there, Aludra was gone. Gone with no sign of her, except that, maybe, she went home. 

So Jaela followed her, snuck into the lair, and arrived just in time to interrupt Aludra’s marriage to another. An arranged marriage, one to bring the clan prosperity, but one Aludra did not want. For her heart was still Jaela’s, even after all this time, and so they ran. 

Ran and ran until they found a place far from Aludra’s family, far from her home, where they could be happy together. Where they could live and love and go out on adventures when the mood struck them. Where they could be warriors and lovers and nothing more if they didn’t want and everything more if they so desired. They could be anything and everything, and they chose this. 

They enrolled at the ludus under Batiatus, first as students and then as teachers and guards, proving themselves fit for the job. They were strong from their adventures, willing to take risks from a lack of fearing death (for the almost end of the world hadn’t killed them, and what else could?) others shied away from; they proved themselves to the clan. 

Proved themselves and were happy, for while clan life was a bit more restricting then fending for themselves, they were happy, they were together, and that was what was important.


	59. Laura

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9180612)   


She was a meddler. Ever since she’d been young, Laura had been a meddling little dragon, sticking her nose into things that “didn’t concern her.” She poked and she prodded and she forced herself into the situation, whether she was wanted or not.

It was good that she did, because her doing so saved Carmilla. 

When she heard that dragons were going missing, that strange creatures were appearing, that this one dragon seemed to have more knowledge than she should, Laura went to investigate. She investigated the disappearances, and found them all linked. She investigated the strange creatures, and found them all to have the same origin. She investigated the dragon with more knowledge then she should have, and she found her touched by the Shade. Touched by the Shade and desperate for a way out, for a release, which Laura gave her.

They fled, as far as they could, and came to settle in the clan. Settled where they would be safe, protected, and could keep others safe and protected as well. And when the Shade’s influence overtook her, when it closed off her throat and made her movements hard, Laura was there to help. Help Carmilla breathe and speak and live, as free of the Shade as she would be.


	60. Carmilla

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8970137)   


She’d been touched by the Shade. 

Ever since she was little, Carmilla had known the Shade. Had heard it in the back of her head, guiding her, helping her rise through the ranks of her clan. Had felt its pull, felt its tug back and forward towards certain goals until she had completed what the Shade demanded. Had felt its demand for her to breed, to bring into the world creatures that were dragons-not-dragons to serve it. 

It had always been there, and for a while she had served it. Served it happily, for it brought with power, riches, everything she could ever want. 

Until she met Laura. Laura, whose life the Shade had demanded as a sacrifice. Laura, whose life Carmilla couldn’t take. Laura, who she fell in love with and threw off the shackles of the Shade for, because while she held no love for the gods, she couldn’t turn against her heart. 

The touch was still there- around her wrists and ankles, around her throat, making it hard to move, hard to breathe, hard to live her life sometimes. But Laura was there to help ease the way, to help her speak and do what she needed to do when the Shade’s influence reared its head. But she was happy, because she had her love, and for that she would fight against the Shade as much as necessary just so she could love her.


	61. Danny

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9186252)   


She used to long to be an Amazon- to travel the world, wild and free, uncaring of men and their ways. Used to long for days sleeping under the stars, days hunting for food, searching for some meaning to their infinite lives that seemed to allude even the eldest of them all. She used to long for it. 

And even after the group settled, even after they made the name ‘Amazons’ their secondary title and took the one of ‘Queen’s Guard’ for their primary, she still wanted to join them. Wanted to join them and fight, live, protect the royal family of her clan. She wanted to be one of the good guys. 

So she signed up for the ludus, threw herself into training- only for there to be no spots available when she tried to join. 

“The sisterhood is small, and from its smallness came its strength,” Terreis had explained to her, when she had been trying to blink back the tears that threatened to fall. “From smallness comes knowledge, a deeper knowledge than any other, and I truly know my sisters. Become too large, and the knowledge of the others fades, creating weaknesses I cannot fix. So we must remain small. And there are too many of us already.” 

It wasn’t fair. She was trained, she was ready to fight, she was ready to do everything to protect her Queen and Princess and their Consorts. But to be turned away like this? 

She took comfort in her mate’s arms that night, curled into Betty’s side, as she sobbed from a broken heart and broken dreams. 

She still trains; if the Amazons won’t have her, she’ll still make sure she’s just as strong as them, stronger, even, if that’s possible. She throws herself into her work, making sure to prove her worth to the clan- bringing home more than enough food to stuff their larders from the battle field, occasionally taking a pet alive to be trained by Herodotus and Hecuba, taking younglings out with her from time to time to train them herself. She wasn’t as good with training as Angie or Batiatus were, or how Doctor had been, but she was good enough. 

If she couldn’t be an Amazon in name, she would prove herself Amazon in spirit, and maybe one day earn a place among their ranks. Maybe one day.


	62. Betty

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9031599)   


All Betty wanted to do was learn. She wanted to study with the trainers, she wanted to become an educated dragon, maybe serve the gods one day. That was all she wanted. 

She never wanted to be dragged into the bs of the clan, but she had been. She had been dragged in time and again and again- with Yuko, with the Amazons, with Xena, she had constantly been dragged in, and she was tired of it. All she wanted to do was study, fight, and make a life with her mate, Danny. That was all she wanted to do, that was it. 

But if things continued on as they were now, it would be a very long time until she reached that stage. Until she could figure out a way to keep the insanity of the clan out of her life and her studies, she was just going to have to deal, and learn how to read without getting blood on her books.


	63. Kirsch

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8947417)   


There wasn’t much going on up there, if Kirsch was honest with both himself and others. Too many drinks, too many fights, too many blows to the head- it was hard, sometimes, to follow the trails of logic others figured out easily. Sometimes hard to connect the dots when someone didn’t point them out first, but that was ok. 

Sarah Jane and the rest of his friends were smart, even if SJ didn’t apply herself like she could, and so he relied on them to tell him when he missed something. 

Instead of worrying, he focused on other things instead- like being extra nice to his sister Danny when she was in a bad mood, or making sure LaFontaine hadn’t run out of snacks from their experiments, or just sitting there, quietly, offering his support when the darkness that still wrapped around Carmilla’s throat made it a bit too hard to breathe. 

He helped Heradotus with the familiars when they were a bit too rowdy, and walked with Eragon when the dragon made his own sweeps of the clan’s perimeter, and even visited Doctor when Lucretia had other things to do, making sure to take him the drink she had prepared for him. He just wanted to help, and so did so in any way he could. 

It made him happy, helping others, making the clan that much better, and even though he couldn’t fight all the time, the other ways he could make that much happier.


	64. Sarah Jane

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8927126)   


She was simple, Sarah Jane. She loved her mate, Kirsch, with all her heart, even though their pairing had been more out of duty instead of love. She trained in the ludus, both because the Queen had declared that everyone must be trained, must be strong enough to fight should the need arise, and she was good at fighting. She stayed a fighter because why change- the clan needed guards, needed fighters who could stand watch over the clan in general, so why not her? 

It was a simple job, one that wasn’t quite as necessary since the clan was barely attacked, but it fit her. She could fight and breed and raise her children as she wished, and when the need arose, she protected her clan with her life. She had her friends and the royals were fair, and even visited their quarters when ruling gave them some time to spare. 

It was a simple life, one she could easily sail through with minimal effort, the perfect life for Sarah Jane. 


	65. Perry

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=8968269)   


She wanted to be normal. 

That was all she wanted. Wanted her mate to be normal (though Lafontaine was anything but), wanted a normal little life in the clan (as a fighter, as a den mother with the others, as just a normal dragon in a normal clan worshiping the gods), wanted normal children who would grow up to live normal lives. She just wanted everyone to be normal. 

But when you were her, normalcy was a…difficult concept to get people to understand. Because from her perspective, their Queen and entire council were insane, their Princess was mated to one of the most dangerous mass murderers the world had ever known, half of their clan seemed to think they were actually gods, and she was pretty sure Lucretia was poisoning Doctor so Batiatus could control the ludus they all were beholden to. 

And her mate kept blowing things up. Half the time she didn’t know if she would get home to a cave that actually had walls or not. She really wasn’t sure, and was always a bit scared to find out what she would discover. 

All she wanted was to be normal. But normal was the last thing this clan could be. So she tried- kept the lair clean, did her best to help out others where she could, but for the most part, Perry was resigned to the abnormalcy of the clan. But all she wanted to be was normal.


	66. LaFontaine

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=9055511)   


Science. From the time they had been young, LaFontaine had been obsessed with science. With learning how the world worked, how the world turned, how everything weaved together to form their little world. They were obsessed with it, more than anything else in the world. 

Expect Perry, that is. 

They had been friends ever since they were hatchlings, best friends. And before long friends became lovers, lovers became mates, mates became spouses. Perry was their entire world, their love and their life, and they were glad to have them. 

Glad and lucky, for Perry was their voice of common sense, pointing out that just because they knew mixing together two things would create an explosion didn’t mean they should. Reminding them that there were children around, and so chemicals that could burn a hole through a wing should be locked away at the end of the day, not left out to be played with by little claws. Reminded them to eat and sleep and that the science would be there in the morning. 

Perry was their love, and they were glad to have her. 

It was a peaceful life in the clan, a peaceful existence. They fought when the need arose, but unless an attack was being raged against the clan, the Queen had given them permission to focus on science, working with their golem as their assistant. To explore the world and figure out some sort of understanding that would break open the mysteries of the universe. To explain who they were, how the world had truly come to be, to even understand the basis of the gods. 

It was a peaceful life, a good life, and LaFontaine was happy with their lot in life, with their lab, and their wife.


	67. Cyrene

[](http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=31297753)  


The owner of thing closest thing the clan had to an inn, Cyrene had only ever wanted a peaceful life. A mate who would run the inn with her, a couple of children- perhaps even ones who would be allowed to stay in the clan with her, for the inn to be successful for those adults who came to stay temporarily with them. Ones who were just passing through before going on their way, who decided that this clan and lair weren’t to be their home. She kept them for a night or two, collected their treasure, and sent them on their way. That was all she wanted.

What she got was a scum mate who could never keep himself out of other female’s nests, and four children who she loved more than anything else in the world. Children who would, inevitably, become the source of her greatest heartbreak.

Toris had always been a scholar, even when he was a small hatchling. He’d spent hours just reading, studying, trying to make himself smarter, wiser, just trying to learn everything he could. She was sure he would dedicate himself to the gods, in particular the Arcanist, but she had kept her thoughts to herself and her tongue still. No point in determining the child’s future when he was still so young. But still, she kept her eye on him, talked to the traveling priests who often stayed within her inn, and bought as many books for him as she could afford.

Lyceus had always been slated to be a warrior. While his siblings had chipped at the shells of their eggs, he had burst through with a harsh smack of his claws against the shell, almost becoming the first to be born, had he not tired himself out so quickly. But his stamina had quickly returned, and he had immediately forced himself stumbling to his feet, hissing and spitting as he clawed at his face, trying to remove the remaining egg goo so he could see. It had taken both her and Atrius to catch and clean him, and from that moment on he had gone. Gone and kept up fighting, getting into every scuffle with the other hatchlings that he could. When he became old enough to wander around the clan on his own, she often found him in the ludus, watching the warriors as they trained.

A discussion with Queen Tamora and Doctor confirmed that he would be allowed to join if that was his desire when he was old enough. She was almost sure he would desire it, if he continued on the path he was going down.

Odele had wanted nothing more than to sing. From the moment she had broken free from her shell, she had spent every second of her life in song, her hatchling tweets musical in nature before morphing into words as she grew. If Odele ever went missing, it was easy to find her- follow the music, and she would be there. More often then not, Cyrene found her sitting on the clan's stage, the performers allowing it so long as she stayed out of their way, watching them with rapture. 

Cyrene made a deal with Angie to teach her, and Cyrene was sure, one day, Odele would sing for herself. 

And then there was Xena. Her little girl, her daughter- strong, wise, beautiful, it was almost like the gods had truly blessed her. She was smarter than Toris without even having to try, stronger than Lyceus without having to train- she could easily pick up any weapon without a single thought and use it if she was a master. Even though she was born in a water nest, the result of a bad decision with Atrius while they were traveling, Queen Tamora looked at her with interest, as if she was considering her to be the next queen of the clan.

Even after Atrius left them, even after she had to raise the four of them alone, she was glad for the cretin, because he gave her them. And she cursed him too, because he gave her them.

Three of them had gone out to train, Lyceus and Xena to become stronger and Toris to practice his healing magic, and they were attacked. Attacked by a group of adult dragons, seeing the younglings as easy targets. Easy targets for stealing their collected food and materials and supplies, for stealing the clothing off their backs and sending them running home naked and afraid, if not a tad bit hurt.

And instead of giving them what they wanted, her children had fought. Fought against these adult dragons, apparently with Xena striking first, and it ended in the adults run off, Toris badly injured, and little Lyceus dead.

Toris left for the Arcanist. He couldn’t stand the idea of continuing to live in the clan, couldn’t stand the constant reminder of his lost brother. Odele performed at the funeral, tears making her voice wobble and break, before she left the clan to find somewhere else to call her home.  Cyrene, in her anger, lashed out at Xena, driving her away before the end of the day.  

Driving her away, away with only her anger and hatred to keep her going as she set out for revenge. Revenge against the world for taking her brother, revenge that would end with her owning it.

For years, Cyrene listened to the news as travelers came through her inn, all of them spreading tales of Xena. She wasn’t worried that Xena would attack them, no- there was no fear of that. But she listened as Xena and her army destroyed lair after lair, killed dragon after dragon, literally set the world on fire in the quest for revenge for her brother, and became the most notorious dragon in the world.

For years she listened, until, amazingly, one day, Xena came home.

She was tired. Tired and heartsick and done with the darkness, done with the Shade and the strength it had given her to try and destroy the world, done with her past. She wanted to make amends, wanted to redeem herself, in any way possible.

She was coming to say goodbye, goodbye for the last time before she allowed herself to join Lyceus, when she ran into the Princess. Into Princess Gabrielle, saved her from a group of dragons trying to kidnap her after she had run off on her own without her guards. Into Princess Gabrielle, who decided that they were going to travel the world together, Xena as her guard, so she could see the world.

Queen Tamora agreed- Xena was dangerous, yes, but that dangerous could help keep her child alive. And Xena wanted to redeem herself, correct? What better way than to travel, to actually make amends instead of taking her own life, to do good in the world that so desperately needed a hero?

Cyrene saw her only once, for a few minutes, before Xena set out with Gabrielle at her side. Saw her just long enough to talk, for Cyrene to apologize for driving her off, to say that she had forgiven her for that sin, all those years ago.

And after Xena had left, Cyrene kept her ears open, listening for the tales of her daughter and their Princess, hoping that they would be good.

And they were. For years, rumor after story after tale came flooding into the inn, about Xena and her skills, about how she protected the weak and defeated the evil, how she had trained her young companion to fight by her side, how the two of them had become lovers, Xena becoming this young Princess’s Consort- nothing she could confirm, not at the time, but things that sent her heart glowing. For if her child was happy, she was as well.

For six years she listened to these stories. Occasionally Xena and Gabrielle would return to the clan, so Gabrielle could visit her parents, and Xena would stop by. Some she confirmed (she did help people, her and Gabrielle were mated, yes), while others she laughed off (where did she ever hear that she had a magical metal circle that she could control with her mind?). But the visits were never for long, never long enough, and soon Cyrene returned to listening for stories about her child.

But after six years, they came home. It was time for Gabrielle to start ruling, and apparently Xena had almost died in the last place they had visited, taking the appeal out of traveling for them, at least for now. They might again, one day, but for now, they were to stay with the clan.

And Cyrene had her child back, had her greatly successful inn, and might even have her eye on another mate, perhaps. Her life was good, and she was happy.


End file.
